Constitution State News

There were 82 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 5.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 479 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.1% were from cancer and 2.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.4% 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 April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	101	108
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	82	78
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	33
Alzheimer's disease	18	14
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	15	21
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	13
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	64	57