Grand Canyon Times

There were 49 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 2.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 886 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.6% were from cancer and 1.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	187	197
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	129	188
Alzheimer's disease	49	52
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	48
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	50
Diabetes mellitus	25	25
Influenza and pneumonia	12	13
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	115