Prairie State Wire

There were 23 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Illinois in the week ending July 24, making up 1.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 2,070 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1 percent were from cancer and 3.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	457	22.1
Heart disease	441	21.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	109	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	76	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	52	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	2.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	44	2.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	23	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	9