Yellowhammer Times

There were 31 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases reported in Alabama in the week ending December 25, making up 5.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 534 deaths in the state. 23.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.8 percent were from cancer and 14.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	125	23.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	79	14.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	8.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	6.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	31	5.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	27	5.1
Influenza and pneumonia	13	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	2.1
Diabetes mellitus	10	1.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	8.2