Show-Me State Times

There were 16 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Jan. 22, a 11.1 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 22, there were 1,314 deaths in the state. 18.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.7 percent were from cancer and 54.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6 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 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	376	359
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	344	338
Heart disease	243	258
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	193	194
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	77
Alzheimer's disease	62	40
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	48
Diabetes mellitus	37	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	31
Influenza and pneumonia	16	18

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
Alzheimer disease and dementia	126	95