Constitution State News

There were 23 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 15% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 582 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 2.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	118	116
Heart disease	111	120
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	26
Alzheimer's disease	23	20
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	19
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	13
Diabetes mellitus	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10

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