Constitution State News

There were less than 10 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending Jan. 15, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 15, there were 465 deaths in the state. 15.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 11 percent were from cancer and 58.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5 percent 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 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	143	149
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	127	135
Heart disease	73	123
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	51	97
Alzheimer's disease	16	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	18

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	63