Yellowhammer Times

There were 37 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 31.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 636 deaths in the state. 23.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 3.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.4% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	149	203
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	126	144
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	54
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	54
Diabetes mellitus	19	18
Alzheimer's disease	19	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	14
Influenza and pneumonia	12	11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	64