Maryland State Wire

There were 31 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 20.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 792 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 8.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	183	191
Heart disease	175	188
Cerebrovascular diseases	61	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	34
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	39
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	19
Diabetes mellitus	21	20
Alzheimer's disease	20	20
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	13	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	78