Sooner State News

There were 35 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Oklahoma during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 25% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 624 deaths in the state. 22.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% 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 June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	142	166
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	124	136
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	28
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	47
Alzheimer's disease	25	24
Diabetes mellitus	24	26
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	51	56