Show-Me State Times

There were 22 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 37.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 1,149 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Heart disease	273	217
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	227	248
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	54
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	49	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	73
Alzheimer's disease	46	36
Diabetes mellitus	40	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	32	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	19
Influenza and pneumonia	22	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	102	100