Great Lakes Wire

There were 77 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Michigan in the week ending May 29, making up 3.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, there were 1,987 deaths in the state. 24.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2 percent were from cancer and 17.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6 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	478	24.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	361	18.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	187	9.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	162	8.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	96	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	81	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	77	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	49	2.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	35	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	13	0.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	170	8.6