Bay State News

There were 38 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 18.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 919 deaths in the state. 17.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 3.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.3% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	178	166
Heart disease	159	148
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	30
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	32
Alzheimer's disease	27	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	19
Influenza and pneumonia	14	15
Diabetes mellitus	14	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	113	111