Last Frontier News

There were less than 10 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Alaska in the week ending Dec. 3, making up less than 15.2% of total deaths by all causes in Alaska, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 66 deaths in the state. 15.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 33.3% were from cancer

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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	22	33.3
Heart disease	10	15.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 15.2
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 15.2
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 15.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 15.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 15.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	0
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	0	0