Maryland State Wire

There were 25 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 1,038 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	225	205
Heart disease	214	220
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	60	31
Cerebrovascular diseases	60	79
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	43
Diabetes mellitus	42	42
Alzheimer's disease	27	19
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	81