Grand Canyon Times

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending May 8, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, there were 1,403 deaths in the state. 19 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2 percent were from cancer and 8.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-05-08	Number of Deaths 2021-05-01
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	269	227
Heart disease	267	256
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	76	70
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	60	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	51
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	54	47
Alzheimer's disease	51	57
Diabetes mellitus	44	51
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-05-08	Number of Deaths 2021-05-01
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	110