Centennial State News

There were 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending June 17, a 28.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 757 deaths in the state. 15.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and less than 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.2% 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 June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	137	176
Heart disease	118	142
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	45
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	53
Alzheimer's disease	37	22
Diabetes mellitus	25	20
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	75