Show-Me State Times

There were 268 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending June 5, a 0.7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 5, there were 1,186 deaths in the state. 22.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2 percent were from cancer and 6.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5 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 2021-06-05	Number of Deaths 2021-05-29
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	275	239
Heart disease	268	270
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	48
Alzheimer's disease	53	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	37	26
Diabetes mellitus	35	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	38
Influenza and pneumonia	11	13

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-06-05	Number of Deaths 2021-05-29
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	91