Show-Me State Times

There were 262 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending August 7, a 6.8 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 1,527 deaths in the state. 17.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.1 percent were from cancer and 38.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 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 2021-08-07	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	301	222
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	289	216
Heart disease	262	281
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	261	261
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	80
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	50
Alzheimer's disease	42	52
Diabetes mellitus	39	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	31
Influenza and pneumonia	22	22

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-07	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31
Alzheimer disease and dementia	104	102