Show-Me State Times

There were 26 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending May 29, a 33.3 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, there were 1,137 deaths in the state. 23.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21 percent were from cancer and 5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8 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 2021-05-29	Number of Deaths 2021-05-22
Heart disease	270	288
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	239	235
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	54
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	68
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	20
Diabetes mellitus	37	23
Alzheimer's disease	34	47
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	39
Influenza and pneumonia	13	12

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-05-29	Number of Deaths 2021-05-22
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	86