Golden State Today

There were 91 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in California during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 24.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 5,243 deaths in the state. 20.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 4.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Cerebrovascular diseases	356	352
Alzheimer's disease	301	277
Diabetes mellitus	209	163
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	193	203
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	137	148
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	105	116
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	91	73
Influenza and pneumonia	64	59
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	1,126	1,122
Heart disease	1,071	1,039

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	473	453