Maryland State Wire

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland in the week ending May 21, making up 2.1% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, there were 631 deaths in the state. 20.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 5.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	131	20.8
Heart disease	127	20.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	8.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	19	3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	3
Diabetes mellitus	14	2.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.6