Maryland State Wire

There were 149 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 5.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 720 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.4% 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 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	159	193
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	149	157
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	54
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	26
Alzheimer's disease	24	20
Diabetes mellitus	23	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	82	77