Maryland State Wire

There were 38 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, a 36.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 1,020 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Heart disease	232	214
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	206	225
Cerebrovascular diseases	65	60
Diabetes mellitus	44	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	60
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	25
Alzheimer's disease	18	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	101