Great Lakes Wire

There were 84 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,865 deaths in the state. 23.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Heart disease	437	468
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	392	385
Cerebrovascular diseases	114	118
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	90	99
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	84
Alzheimer's disease	70	69
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	55	63
Diabetes mellitus	51	54
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	42
Influenza and pneumonia	14	22

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	147	147