Ocean State Today

There were 12 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Rhode Island during the week ending November 20, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending November 20, there were 206 deaths in the state. 15 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4 percent were from cancer and 11.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.6 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	Number of Deaths 2021-11-20	Number of Deaths 2021-11-13
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	42	32
Heart disease	31	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	13
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	12	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-11-20	Number of Deaths 2021-11-13
Alzheimer disease and dementia	28	20