Empire State Today

There were 399 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in New York state in the week ending August 21, making up 20.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in New York state, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 1,977 deaths in the state. 20.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3 percent were from cancer and 11.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.4 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	422	21.3
Heart disease	399	20.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	118	6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	107	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	102	5.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	85	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	53	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	42	2.1
Alzheimer's disease	33	1.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	146	7.4