Show-Me State Times

There were 23 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 9.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 875 deaths in the state. 25.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	220	223
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	192	202
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	62
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	40
Alzheimer's disease	33	31
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	21
Diabetes mellitus	20	24
Influenza and pneumonia	13	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	88	71