The Sconi

There were 39 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Jan. 15, making up four percent of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 15, there were 984 deaths in the state. 13.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 10.7 percent were from cancer and 33.3 percent were from COVID-19.

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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	179	18.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	149	15.1
Heart disease	136	13.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	105	10.7
Alzheimer's disease	50	5.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	39	4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	2.8
Diabetes mellitus	17	1.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1