Yellowhammer Times

There were 22 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 37.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 1,120 deaths in the state. 25.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.5% were from cancer and 2.9% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	288	282
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	196	185
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	67	71
Alzheimer's disease	52	57
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	62
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	32
Diabetes mellitus	24	25
Influenza and pneumonia	22	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	22
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	99	101