Mountain State Times

There were 83 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 14.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 394 deaths in the state. 17.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 4.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	83	97
Heart disease	70	101
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	35
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	24
Diabetes mellitus	11	18
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	41	35