Minnesota State Wire

There were 23 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending July 10, a 50 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 10, there were 838 deaths in the state. 16.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 25.1 percent were from cancer and 1.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.1 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 2021-07-10	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	210	205
Heart disease	135	155
Alzheimer's disease	46	48
Diabetes mellitus	39	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	51
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	46
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-07-10	Number of Deaths 2021-07-03
Alzheimer disease and dementia	110	90