Minnesota State Wire

There were 23 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending June 17, a 23.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 871 deaths in the state. 16.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.4% were from cancer and 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7% 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 June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	204	203
Heart disease	143	172
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	44
Alzheimer's disease	36	38
Diabetes mellitus	23	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	93	93