Grand Canyon Times

There were 53 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 3.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 1,239 deaths in the state. 18.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 7.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Heart disease	234	272
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	230	237
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	55
Alzheimer's disease	53	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	52	53
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	45
Diabetes mellitus	37	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	10
Influenza and pneumonia	18	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	127