Centennial State News

There were 21 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, a 5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, there were 844 deaths in the state. 16.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 6.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	178	155
Heart disease	141	149
Alzheimer's disease	35	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	47
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	39
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	33
Diabetes mellitus	21	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	19	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	73