Evergreen Reporter

There were 216 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in the state of Washington in the week ending June 24, making up 18.2% of total deaths by all causes in the state of Washington, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 1,190 deaths in the state. 18.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 2.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	254	21.3
Heart disease	216	18.2
Alzheimer's disease	74	6.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	57	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	26	2.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	1.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	115	9.7