Maryland State Wire

There were 126 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in Maryland in the week ending Feb. 12, making up 20.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 621 deaths in the state. 20.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6 percent were from cancer and 26.9 percent were from COVID-19.

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)	128	20.6
Heart disease	126	20.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	91	14.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	76	12.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	6.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	16	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	2.4
Diabetes mellitus	14	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.6