Show-Me State Times

There were 45 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Missouri in the week ending Oct. 8, making up 5.5% of total deaths by all causes in Missouri, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 8, there were 815 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6% were from cancer and 5.9% 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
Heart disease	184	22.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	176	21.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	6.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	42	5.2
Diabetes mellitus	34	4.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	3.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.8