Maryland State Wire

There were 31 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Maryland in the week ending July 29, making up 3.5% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 29, there were 882 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 1.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.1% 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	198	22.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	177	20.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	6.5
Diabetes mellitus	34	3.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	3.5
Influenza and pneumonia	21	2.4
Alzheimer's disease	18	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	1.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	63	7.1