Grand Canyon Times

There were 269 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 18.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 1,403 deaths in the state. 19% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 8.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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 May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
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	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	110