Minnesota State Wire

There were 24 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 11.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 561 deaths in the state. 19.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.2% were from cancer and 3.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.9% 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 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	136	137
Heart disease	108	121
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	29
Alzheimer's disease	37	24
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	27
Diabetes mellitus	20	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	74