Granite State Times

There were 48 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Hampshire during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 21.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 267 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1% were from cancer and less than 3.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	59	49
Heart disease	48	61
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	13	12
Cerebrovascular diseases	13	15
Diabetes mellitus	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	26	31