Yellowhammer Times

There were 15 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending June 25, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 873 deaths in the state. 26.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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 June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	234	267
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	165	173
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	39
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	48
Alzheimer's disease	43	53
Diabetes mellitus	25	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	20
Influenza and pneumonia	15	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	96