Aloha State News

There were less than 10 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Hawaii during the week ending September 18, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 18, there were 259 deaths in the state. 16.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.9 percent were from cancer and 35.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.6 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 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	48	60
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	43	59
Heart disease	43	52
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	36	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	12
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	17	30