Show-Me State Times

There were 17 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Feb. 12, a 21.4 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 961 deaths in the state. 19.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.1 percent were from cancer and 42.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	215	306
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	196	274
Heart disease	185	245
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	155	173
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	42
Alzheimer's disease	45	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	50
Diabetes mellitus	21	27
Influenza and pneumonia	17	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	27

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	116