Prairie State Wire

There were 88 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Illinois in the week ending June 24, making up 4.4% of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 1,998 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.7% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	453	22.7
Heart disease	413	20.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	117	5.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	88	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	63	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	53	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	50	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	33	1.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	0.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	0.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	182	9.1