Palmetto State News

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 58% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 899 deaths in the state. 16.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 5.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	188	177
Heart disease	151	181
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	50
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	59
Alzheimer's disease	28	39
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	50
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	27
Influenza and pneumonia	13	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	10	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	73