Show-Me State Times

There were 12 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 33.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 1,258 deaths in the state. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.3% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	280	283
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	230	237
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	77	60
Cerebrovascular diseases	69	75
Alzheimer's disease	57	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	35
Diabetes mellitus	30	52
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	27
Influenza and pneumonia	12	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	131	116