Maryland State Wire

There were 17 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Maryland in the week ending June 24, making up 1.9% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 914 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and 1.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	215	23.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	210	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	6.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	24	2.6
Alzheimer's disease	17	1.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	1.1
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	6.2