Grand Canyon Times

There were 42 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Arizona in the week ending Feb. 5, making up 3.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 5, there were 1,114 deaths in the state. 17.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.7 percent were from cancer and 49.9 percent were from COVID-19.

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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	292	26.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	264	23.7
Heart disease	195	17.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	141	12.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	42	3.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	31	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1