Sunshine Sentinel

There were 212 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Florida in the week ending July 31, making up four percent of total deaths by all causes in Florida, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 5,317 deaths in the state. 18.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.5 percent were from cancer and 32.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.9 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	980	18.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	889	16.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	876	16.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	832	15.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	310	5.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	212	4
Diabetes mellitus	173	3.3
Alzheimer's disease	145	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	68	1.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	58	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	367	6.9