Pine State News

There were 56 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Maine during the week ending July 31, a 20 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 281 deaths in the state. 17.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease and 19.9 percent were from cancer Additionally, 11.7 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	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31	Number of Deaths 2021-07-24
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	56	70
Heart disease	50	62
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	16	18
Cerebrovascular diseases	14	10
Diabetes mellitus	12	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	11	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-07-31	Number of Deaths 2021-07-24
Alzheimer disease and dementia	33	33