Centennial State News

There were 46 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a 31.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 814 deaths in the state. 15.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.9% 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 Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	164	163
Heart disease	126	141
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	35
Alzheimer's disease	35	32
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	13
Diabetes mellitus	21	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	89	75