Mountain State Times

There were 11 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 15.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 432 deaths in the state. 17.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	81	99
Heart disease	76	92
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	32
Diabetes mellitus	23	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	11
Alzheimer's disease	11	13
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	39	48