Minnesota State Wire

There were 205 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 3.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 846 deaths in the state. 15.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 9.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.5% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	205	213
Heart disease	134	144
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	47	70
Alzheimer's disease	41	36
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	55
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	45
Diabetes mellitus	26	38
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	106	93