Centennial State News

There were less than 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending December 11, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 11, there were 924 deaths in the state. 14.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.3 percent were from cancer and 46 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 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 2021-12-11	Number of Deaths 2021-12-04
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	221	268
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	204	244
Heart disease	133	164
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	114	148
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	52
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	36
Alzheimer's disease	26	36
Diabetes mellitus	15	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-11	Number of Deaths 2021-12-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	63	89