Centennial State News

There were 34 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Feb. 12, a 29.2 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 648 deaths in the state. 13.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.3 percent were from cancer and 28.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	102	186
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	99	123
Heart disease	89	126
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	82	151
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	28
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	48
Alzheimer's disease	20	36
Diabetes mellitus	17	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	82