Golden State Today

There were 196 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in California in the week ending May 29, making up 3.7 percent of total deaths by all causes in California, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, there were 5,292 deaths in the state. 20.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4 percent were from cancer and 4.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1 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
Cerebrovascular diseases	356	6.7
Alzheimer's disease	304	5.7
Diabetes mellitus	216	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	196	3.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	139	2.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	105	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	92	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	66	1.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,131	21.4
Heart disease	1,096	20.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	480	9.1