Sunshine Sentinel

There were 58 deaths from nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis reported in Florida in the week ending May 29, making up 1.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, there were 4,506 deaths in the state. 20.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9 percent were from cancer and 9.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	928	20.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	897	19.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	267	5.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	238	5.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	207	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	202	4.5
Diabetes mellitus	155	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	95	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	58	1.3
Influenza and pneumonia	45	1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	352	7.8