Minnesota State Wire

There were 12 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 965 deaths in the state. 18.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 6.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	190	196
Heart disease	180	164
Alzheimer's disease	54	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	44
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	53
Diabetes mellitus	42	25
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	19
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	96