Mountain State Times

There were 66 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 10.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 313 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and less than 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	66	74
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	60	65
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	26
Alzheimer's disease	13	12
Diabetes mellitus	10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	28	36