Centennial State News

There were 161 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 4.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 924 deaths in the state. 17.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 8.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.5% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	177	141
Heart disease	161	154
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	52	43
Alzheimer's disease	43	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	55
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	25
Diabetes mellitus	22	20
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	106	89