Maryland State Wire

There were 17 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, a 13.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, there were 953 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.1% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

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	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Heart disease	210	197
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	201	232
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	40
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	25
Diabetes mellitus	29	34
Alzheimer's disease	22	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	115	80