Yellowhammer Times

There were 285 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 6.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 1,132 deaths in the state. 25.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.3% 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 May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	285	267
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	211	200
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	49
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	53
Alzheimer's disease	48	44
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	13
Diabetes mellitus	23	32
Influenza and pneumonia	20	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	83	81