Show-Me State Times

There were 39 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, a 20.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, there were 1,096 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Heart disease	254	249
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	235	268
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	56	62
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	56	64
Alzheimer's disease	44	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	49
Diabetes mellitus	33	31
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	86