Magnolia State News

There were 35 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Mississippi during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 2.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 523 deaths in the state. 29.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5% were from cancer and less than 1.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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 June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	153	129
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	102	107
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	39
Alzheimer's disease	23	30
Diabetes mellitus	20	13
Influenza and pneumonia	15	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	40	53