Maryland State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths from nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis reported in Maryland in the week ending Feb. 26, making up less than 1.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 26, there were 653 deaths in the state. 20.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5 percent were from cancer and 15.3 percent were from COVID-19.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	20.5
Heart disease	132	20.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	58	8.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	7.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	42	6.4
Alzheimer's disease	21	3.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	2.8
Diabetes mellitus	16	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.5