Centennial State News

There were 43 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 22.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 856 deaths in the state. 15.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	170	150
Heart disease	130	140
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	50	39
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	35
Cerebrovascular diseases	42	41
Alzheimer's disease	32	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	20
Diabetes mellitus	20	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	81