Palmetto State News

There were 42 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 16.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,035 deaths in the state. 15% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2% were from cancer and 5.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	240	213
Heart disease	155	208
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	63
Alzheimer's disease	42	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	59
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	53
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	17
Influenza and pneumonia	16	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	14	30

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	102	104