Centennial State News

There were 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending October 30, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 30, there were 1,056 deaths in the state. 15.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17 percent were from cancer and 37.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.9 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-10-30	Number of Deaths 2021-10-23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	209	187
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	190	167
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	179	171
Heart disease	159	154
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	42
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	48
Alzheimer's disease	26	32
Diabetes mellitus	17	24
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	11

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-30	Number of Deaths 2021-10-23
Alzheimer disease and dementia	73	81