Minnesota State Wire

There were 29 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 21.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 824 deaths in the state. 16.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26.8% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.3% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	221	191
Heart disease	139	134
Alzheimer's disease	49	29
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	41
Diabetes mellitus	36	23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	22
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	70