Grand Canyon Times

There were 218 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending July 9, 2022, a 0.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, 2022, there were 1,087 deaths in the state. 20.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 6.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	233	226
Heart disease	218	217
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	46
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	50
Alzheimer's disease	44	46
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	49
Diabetes mellitus	36	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	106	112