There were 168 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending Feb. 12, a 26.6 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 3,777 deaths in the state. 16.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14 percent were from cancer and 47.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10 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	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	945	1,206
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	855	1,090
Heart disease	622	693
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	530	575
Cerebrovascular diseases	176	185
Alzheimer's disease	168	229
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	127	157
Diabetes mellitus	90	121
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	63	65
Influenza and pneumonia	29	44

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	378	463