Minnesota State Wire

There were 40 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Minnesota in the week ending Feb. 5, making up six percent of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 5, there were 662 deaths in the state. 16.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4 percent were from cancer and 32.6 percent were from COVID-19.

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)	122	18.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	118	17.8
Heart disease	109	16.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	98	14.8
Alzheimer's disease	40	6
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	23	3.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.5