First State Times

There were 16 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Delaware during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 242 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and less than 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.6% 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 Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	51	37
Heart disease	49	42
Alzheimer's disease	16	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	28	25