Centennial State News

There were 39 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 18.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 696 deaths in the state. 17.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 8.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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 June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	129	135
Heart disease	124	115
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	33
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	31
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	34
Alzheimer's disease	25	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	19
Diabetes mellitus	17	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	67	78