Minnesota State Wire

There were 31 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending March 12, a 20.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 545 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 11% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	120	133
Heart disease	112	106
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	45
Alzheimer's disease	33	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	39
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	34
Diabetes mellitus	18	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	92