Show-Me State Times

There were 255 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Jan. 29, a 10.2 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 29, there were 1,307 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.5 percent were from cancer and 48.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1 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 2022-01-29	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	336	445
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	300	406
Heart disease	255	284
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	203	218
Alzheimer's disease	68	69
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	77
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	45
Diabetes mellitus	32	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	29
Influenza and pneumonia	18	21

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-29	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22
Alzheimer disease and dementia	132	142