Magnolia State News

There were 26 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending March 12, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 419 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 18.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	94	114
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	86	89
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	75
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	59
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	43
Alzheimer's disease	26	26
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	25
Diabetes mellitus	16	27
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	40