Grand Canyon Times

There were 62 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 24% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 1,168 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 8.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	240	215
Heart disease	236	250
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	50
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	59	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	54
Alzheimer's disease	46	65
Diabetes mellitus	44	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	24
Influenza and pneumonia	17	16
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	128	129