Minnesota State Wire

There were 194 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 12.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 910 deaths in the state. 16.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 15.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12% 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 May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	194	221
Heart disease	152	160
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	78	65
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	65	54
Alzheimer's disease	47	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	36
Diabetes mellitus	36	27
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	56
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	109	89