Show-Me State Times

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri in the week ending Sept. 17, making up 2.5% of total deaths by all causes in Missouri, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, there were 846 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	220	26
Heart disease	162	19.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	59	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	5.9
Alzheimer's disease	42	5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	4
Diabetes mellitus	27	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.4