Maryland State Wire

There were 17 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Maryland in the week ending August 21, making up 1.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 942 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4 percent were from cancer and 11.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.1 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	202	21.4
Heart disease	184	19.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	60	6.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	52	5.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	47	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	32	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	17	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	6.1