Great Lakes Wire

There were 13 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 43.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 1,977 deaths in the state. 24% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2% were from cancer and 17.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Heart disease	474	466
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	359	408
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	186	270
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	162	239
Cerebrovascular diseases	94	113
Alzheimer's disease	80	84
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	76	92
Diabetes mellitus	48	65
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	35	39
Influenza and pneumonia	13	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	169	169