Sooner State News

There were 24 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 44.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 472 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7% were from cancer and 3.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	125	131
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	79	91
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	43
Alzheimer's disease	22	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	39