Show-Me State Times

There were 54 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, a 8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, there were 1,115 deaths in the state. 23.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.3% were from cancer and 11.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1% 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 Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Heart disease	267	267
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	232
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	72	80
Cerebrovascular diseases	63	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	54	50
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	54	65
Alzheimer's disease	43	46
Diabetes mellitus	30	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	28
Influenza and pneumonia	16	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	90	111