Show-Me State Times

There were 15 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, a 37.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 1,236 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.4% were from cancer and 4.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	277	273
Heart disease	272	303
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	73
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	81
Alzheimer's disease	42	56
Diabetes mellitus	40	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	35	55
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	40
Influenza and pneumonia	15	24

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	112	125