The Sconi

There were 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Dec. 25, a 56.5 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were 1,159 deaths in the state. 16.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7 percent were from cancer and 39.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7 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 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	240	299
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	213	248
Heart disease	196	243
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	194	202
Alzheimer's disease	55	61
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	47
Diabetes mellitus	27	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	13
Influenza and pneumonia	10	23

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	129