Show-Me State Times

There were 74 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 6.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 1,274 deaths in the state. 22.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 8.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% 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. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Heart disease	290	259
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	253	291
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	74	79
Cerebrovascular diseases	72	68
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	64	50
Alzheimer's disease	49	51
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	46	29
Diabetes mellitus	41	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	33
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	105	106