Show-Me State Times

There were 49 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending March 12, a 24.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 897 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 12.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	211	236
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	192	204
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	59	97
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	52	83
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	65
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	51
Alzheimer's disease	38	47
Diabetes mellitus	24	28
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	29
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	95	112