Pine State News

There were 17 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Maine during the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, a 13.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, there were 300 deaths in the state. 16% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and 9.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.3% 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 Aug. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	69	63
Heart disease	48	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	14	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	12	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	34	36