Old Dominion News

There were 50 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Virginia in the week ending June 12, making up 3.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Virginia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 12, there were 1,374 deaths in the state. 20.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4 percent were from cancer and 5.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	285	20.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	280	20.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	67	4.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	63	4.6
Alzheimer's disease	50	3.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	41	3
Diabetes mellitus	38	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	16	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	147	10.7