Centennial State News

There were 147 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 8.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 809 deaths in the state. 18.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 8.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	155	171
Heart disease	147	135
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	42
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	27
Alzheimer's disease	25	32
Diabetes mellitus	20	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	72	85