Minnesota State Wire

There were 33 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, a 2.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, there were 901 deaths in the state. 15.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.3% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	219	197
Heart disease	136	174
Alzheimer's disease	42	31
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	38
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	41
Diabetes mellitus	33	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	91