Minnesota State Wire

There were 36 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 14.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 775 deaths in the state. 16.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.8% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	192	187
Heart disease	131	187
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	30
Alzheimer's disease	29	39
Diabetes mellitus	22	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	70	97