Show-Me State Times

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 43.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 893 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 3.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	219	232
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	216	205
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	52
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	53
Alzheimer's disease	42	34
Diabetes mellitus	25	21
Influenza and pneumonia	19	14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	33
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	28
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	99	94