Centennial State News

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 58.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 863 deaths in the state. 16.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	184	175
Heart disease	144	154
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	51
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	34
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	29
Alzheimer's disease	28	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	19	12
Diabetes mellitus	14	18
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	74	79