Great Lakes Wire

There were 489 deaths from diseases of the heart reported in Michigan in the week ending May 8, 2021, making up 22% of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 2,226 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.2% were from cancer and 33.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.4% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	489	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	385	17.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	360	16.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	353	15.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	92	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	86	3.9
Alzheimer's disease	79	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	74	3.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	18	0.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	143	6.4