Grand Canyon Times

There were 274 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in Arizona in the week ending May 15, 2021, making up 20.9% of total deaths by all causes in Arizona, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 1,312 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 7.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	274	20.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	237	18.1
Alzheimer's disease	55	4.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	4.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	54	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	46	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	37	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	11	0.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	0.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	128	9.8