Bay State News

There were 180 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 3.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 978 deaths in the state. 18.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 4.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.8% 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 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	196	214
Heart disease	180	187
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	35
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	44
Diabetes mellitus	22	19
Alzheimer's disease	21	29
Influenza and pneumonia	18	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	33

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	106	107