Grand Canyon Times

There were 263 deaths from cancer reported in Arizona in the week ending July 31, making up 20.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 1,295 deaths in the state. 18.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3 percent were from cancer and 16.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.2 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	263	20.3
Heart disease	242	18.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	109	8.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	100	7.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	4.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	43	3.3
Alzheimer's disease	30	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	20	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	1.5

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	7.2