Garden State Times

There were 42 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 13.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 1,316 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 11.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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 May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Heart disease	282	327
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	263	304
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	86	85
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	69	69
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	64
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	45
Alzheimer's disease	42	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	44
Diabetes mellitus	23	26
Influenza and pneumonia	16	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	119	110