Yellowhammer Times

There were 172 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending April 30, 2022, a 16.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, 2022, there were 678 deaths in the state. 25.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4% were from cancer and 1.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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 April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Heart disease	172	206
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	118	133
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	34
Alzheimer's disease	39	37
Diabetes mellitus	18	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	60	67