Centennial State News

There were 152 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Jan. 29, a 23.2 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 29, there were 859 deaths in the state. 14.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.5 percent were from cancer and 39.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8 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 2022-01-29	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	185	239
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	152	198
Heart disease	127	162
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	116	151
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	50
Alzheimer's disease	40	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	31	40
Diabetes mellitus	21	26
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-29	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22
Alzheimer disease and dementia	84	108