Beehive State News

There were 65 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Utah during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 5.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 262 deaths in the state. 24.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 15.3% were from cancer Additionally, 13% 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 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	65	69
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	40	56
Alzheimer's disease	20	15
Diabetes mellitus	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	13
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	34	33