Mountain State Times

There were 11 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending April 16, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 327 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 3.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	71	73
Heart disease	67	67
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	13	17
Diabetes mellitus	11	14
Alzheimer's disease	11	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	30	37