Show-Me State Times

There were 242 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 16.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,183 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 6.3% 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. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	286	234
Heart disease	242	290
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	75	49
Cerebrovascular diseases	65	62
Alzheimer's disease	51	47
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	50
Diabetes mellitus	34	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	32
Influenza and pneumonia	16	22

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	105	104