Centennial State News

There were 24 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 33.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 819 deaths in the state. 17.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4% were from cancer and 6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	151	164
Heart disease	141	128
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	32
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	46
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	34
Alzheimer's disease	24	36
Diabetes mellitus	22	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	65	90