Grand Canyon Times

There were 207 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 17.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 996 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 7.6% 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 June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	207	250
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	187	261
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	62
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	55
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	60
Alzheimer's disease	43	46
Diabetes mellitus	40	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	45
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	13
Influenza and pneumonia	12	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	100	125