Minnesota State Wire

There were 178 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 17.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 992 deaths in the state. 17.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 10.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.4% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	229	239
Heart disease	178	151
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	64	55
Alzheimer's disease	46	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	43	33
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	47
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	44
Diabetes mellitus	24	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	119