Show-Me State Times

There were 221 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending March 5, a 15.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 982 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 17.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Heart disease	221	261
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	194	197
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	92	130
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	80	110
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	73
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	50
Alzheimer's disease	45	48
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	28
Diabetes mellitus	26	27
Influenza and pneumonia	17	26

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	109	104