Centennial State News

There were 38 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Colorado during the week ending June 24, a 9.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 892 deaths in the state. 17.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and 1.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.3% 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 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	167	137
Heart disease	156	118
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	42
Alzheimer's disease	34	37
Diabetes mellitus	23	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	101	92