Minnesota State Wire

There were 34 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 13.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 769 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.6% were from cancer and 8.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	174	206
Heart disease	155	170
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	40
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	30
Alzheimer's disease	29	41
Diabetes mellitus	22	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	19	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	76	91