Maryland State Wire

There were 178 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 26.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 714 deaths in the state. 24.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 2.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Heart disease	178	141
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	149	139
Cerebrovascular diseases	48	51
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	28
Alzheimer's disease	18	16
Diabetes mellitus	17	26
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	67