Yellowhammer Times

There were 48 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 17.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 1,053 deaths in the state. 24.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% 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 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Heart disease	259	251
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	176	207
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	67	72
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	56
Alzheimer's disease	48	41
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	48	61
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	58
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	20
Diabetes mellitus	23	36
Influenza and pneumonia	14	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	86	79