Maryland State Wire

There were 197 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 1.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 941 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.7% were from cancer and 6.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	232	200
Heart disease	197	200
Cerebrovascular diseases	52	58
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	56
Diabetes mellitus	34	32
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	33
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	34
Alzheimer's disease	17	17
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	85