Centennial State News

There were 26 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, a 7.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 856 deaths in the state. 16.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.2% 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. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	159	160
Heart disease	139	157
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	49
Alzheimer's disease	44	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	26
Diabetes mellitus	26	28
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	96	115