Palmetto State News

There were 44 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 4.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 797 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	170	160
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	157	163
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	50
Alzheimer's disease	44	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	18
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	15
Diabetes mellitus	14	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	89