Palmetto State News

There were 216 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in South Carolina during the week ending Oct. 8, 2022, a 0.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 8, 2022, there were 1,132 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 5.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 Oct. 8, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	224	220
Heart disease	216	218
Cerebrovascular diseases	60	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	60
Alzheimer's disease	42	34
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	43
Diabetes mellitus	27	29
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	120	118