Show-Me State Times

There were 251 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 8.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 1,173 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 10.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	257	239
Heart disease	251	274
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	61
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	63
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	54	37
Alzheimer's disease	49	52
Diabetes mellitus	32	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	35
Influenza and pneumonia	19	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	104