Great Lakes Wire

There were 70 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Michigan in the week ending May 15, making up 3.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, there were 2,140 deaths in the state. 21.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9 percent were from cancer and 30.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.2 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	464	21.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	382	17.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	339	15.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	311	14.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	102	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	97	4.5
Alzheimer's disease	70	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	63	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	21	1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	155	7.2