Volunteer State News

There were 84 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Tennessee in the week ending July 31, making up 5.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 1,591 deaths in the state. 20.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4 percent were from cancer and 11.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.3 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	322	20.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	293	18.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	95	6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	90	5.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	5.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	82	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	46	2.9
Diabetes mellitus	43	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	1.1
Influenza and pneumonia	12	0.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	116	7.3