Beaver State News

There were 80 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Oregon during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 11.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 369 deaths in the state. 15.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 3.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	80	72
Heart disease	57	81
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	30
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	22
Alzheimer's disease	20	13
Diabetes mellitus	14	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	41	45