Great Lakes Wire

There were 62 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Michigan in the week ending Feb. 12, making up 5.3 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 1,175 deaths in the state. 20.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20 percent were from cancer and 26.5 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	243	20.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	235	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	173	14.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	138	11.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	72	6.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	50	4.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	27	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	21	1.8