Keystone Today

There were 530 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in Pennsylvania in the week ending July 10, making up 21.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Pennsylvania, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 10, there were 2,487 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20 percent were from cancer and 2.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8 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
Heart disease	530	21.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	497	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	4.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	95	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	64	2.6
Alzheimer's disease	64	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	63	2.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	34	1.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	218	8.8