Minnesota State Wire

There were 26 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, a 10.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, there were 828 deaths in the state. 21.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.6% were from cancer and 9.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	195	221
Heart disease	178	141
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	53	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	37
Diabetes mellitus	28	36
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	28	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	29
Alzheimer's disease	24	51
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	83	102