Minnesota State Wire

There were 38 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 5.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 737 deaths in the state. 19.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.8% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.3% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	183	189
Heart disease	147	148
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	46
Alzheimer's disease	38	36
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	28	43
Diabetes mellitus	21	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	22
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	98	98