Minnesota State Wire

There were 17 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 54.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 897 deaths in the state. 16.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.7% were from cancer and 13.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	213	185
Heart disease	144	146
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	70	62
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	55	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	54
Diabetes mellitus	36	25
Alzheimer's disease	36	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	75