Maryland State Wire

There were 12 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending March 19, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 723 deaths in the state. 24.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Heart disease	174	175
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	126	152
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	52
Diabetes mellitus	23	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	41
Alzheimer's disease	18	23
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	22
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	10
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	28

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	77