Maryland State Wire

There were 209 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 910 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	209	205
Heart disease	198	195
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	75
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	28
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	32
Diabetes mellitus	30	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	16
Alzheimer's disease	22	20
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	14
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	79	68