Palmetto State News

There were 16 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 42.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 564 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.7% were from cancer and 10.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Heart disease	128	168
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	77	197
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	53
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	40
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	49
Alzheimer's disease	16	28
Diabetes mellitus	13	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	45	72