Grand Canyon Times

There were 11 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, a 8.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 1,250 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3% were from cancer and 3.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Heart disease	271	264
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	216	266
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	63
Cerebrovascular diseases	71	55
Alzheimer's disease	55	45
Diabetes mellitus	42	36
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	27
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	11	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	103