Palmetto State News

There were 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending March 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 813 deaths in the state. 18.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 13.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	156	145
Heart disease	149	131
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	63	62
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	48
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	45	53
Alzheimer's disease	38	39
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	30
Diabetes mellitus	21	20
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	82	86