Minnesota State Wire

There were 33 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending March 5, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 551 deaths in the state. 16.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.1% were from cancer and 12.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 16% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	122	185
Heart disease	89	136
Alzheimer's disease	48	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	65
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	33
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	46
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	44
Diabetes mellitus	13	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	88	115