Yellowhammer Times

There were 55 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases reported in Alabama in the week ending June 17, making up 5.3% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 1,029 deaths in the state. 25.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and less than 1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	259	25.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	194	18.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	3.9
Alzheimer's disease	39	3.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	2.8
Diabetes mellitus	26	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	86	8.4