Centennial State News

There were 25 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 16.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 539 deaths in the state. 19.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.1% were from cancer and less than 1.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	104	111
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	92	106
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	30
Alzheimer's disease	21	39
Diabetes mellitus	14	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	53	67