Constitution State News

There were 114 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 1.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 545 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 13.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	114	116
Heart disease	98	114
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	33	38
Cerebrovascular diseases	28	24
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	11
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	17
Alzheimer's disease	16	18
Diabetes mellitus	14	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	54