Centennial State News

There were 18 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 21.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 842 deaths in the state. 17.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 4.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	171	153
Heart disease	146	150
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	37
Alzheimer's disease	34	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	48
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	33
Diabetes mellitus	18	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	76	66