Minnesota State Wire

There were 36 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 38.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 528 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.9% were from cancer and 4.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	121	153
Heart disease	112	114
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	26
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	22
Diabetes mellitus	14	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	17
Alzheimer's disease	11	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	84