Great Lakes Wire

There were 67 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Michigan in the week ending Jan. 29, making up 4.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 29, there were 1,554 deaths in the state. 21.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16 percent were from cancer and 39.8 percent were from COVID-19.

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	333	21.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	331	21.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	288	18.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	74	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	68	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	67	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	42	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	14	0.9