Garden State Times

There were 255 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 3.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 1,073 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 2.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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
Heart disease	255	265
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	234	222
Alzheimer's disease	46	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	60
Diabetes mellitus	34	28
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	18
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	109