Yellowhammer Times

There were 38 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending March 19, 2022, a 9.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 768 deaths in the state. 24.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 12.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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 March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Heart disease	187	200
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	142	143
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	62
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	51	77
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	43	62
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	42
Alzheimer's disease	29	32
Diabetes mellitus	18	22
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	25
Influenza and pneumonia	14	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	66	61