Great Lakes Wire

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending April 16, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 1,214 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 4.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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 April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	298	321
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	254	259
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	70
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	71
Alzheimer's disease	57	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	35
Diabetes mellitus	34	30
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	21
Influenza and pneumonia	12	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	113	124