Show-Me State Times

There were 39 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending May 28, 2022, a 18.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 28, 2022, there were 986 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 3.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 21, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	239	238
Heart disease	211	238
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	73
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	60
Alzheimer's disease	39	48
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	31
Diabetes mellitus	24	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	19
Influenza and pneumonia	20	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	15