Centennial State News

There were 32 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 68.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 857 deaths in the state. 16.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	155	157
Heart disease	139	141
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	43
Alzheimer's disease	39	30
Diabetes mellitus	32	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	26
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	40
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	91	78