Maryland State Wire

There were 21 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 43.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 836 deaths in the state. 22.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	191	193
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	173	198
Cerebrovascular diseases	66	58
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	37
Diabetes mellitus	21	24
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	19
Alzheimer's disease	11	28
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	85