Show-Me State Times

There were 185 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending March 19, 2022, a 21.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 853 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.2% were from cancer and 9.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Heart disease	185	235
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	181	206
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	48
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	63
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	56
Alzheimer's disease	37	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	25
Diabetes mellitus	21	24
Influenza and pneumonia	10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	101