Show-Me State Times

There were 48 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending August 21, a 12.7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 1,501 deaths in the state. 18.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6 percent were from cancer and 38.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7 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 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	296	303
Heart disease	284	302
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	280	287
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	279	270
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	87
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	63
Alzheimer's disease	48	55
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	28
Diabetes mellitus	24	31
Influenza and pneumonia	14	15

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14
Alzheimer disease and dementia	105	110