Mountain State Times

There were 26 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 10.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 383 deaths in the state. 19.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 3.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.5% 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 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	78	80
Heart disease	76	85
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	29
Alzheimer's disease	19	17
Cerebrovascular diseases	19	18
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	19
Diabetes mellitus	11	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	48