Granite State Times

There were 47 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in New Hampshire during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, a 14.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 251 deaths in the state. 17.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and 14.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	47	55
Heart disease	45	51
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	12	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	11	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	26	29