Centennial State News

There were 31 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Colorado during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 19.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 549 deaths in the state. 15.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.8% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.2% 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 March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	94
Heart disease	87	103
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	26
Alzheimer's disease	28	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	28
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	13
Diabetes mellitus	13	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	67	40