Garden State Times

There were 39 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending March 26, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 1,087 deaths in the state. 24% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	261	266
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	220	233
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	43
Alzheimer's disease	41	38
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	19
Diabetes mellitus	26	29
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	29
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	109	98