Show-Me State Times

There were 27 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 28.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 891 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 9.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4% 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 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	197	200
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	191	189
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	54
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	44	47
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	39
Diabetes mellitus	30	24
Alzheimer's disease	27	38
Influenza and pneumonia	20	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	32

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	90