The Sconi

There were 46 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Jan. 22, a 34.3 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 22, there were 1,224 deaths in the state. 17.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.5 percent were from cancer and 43.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6 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 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	299	335
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	235	278
Heart disease	215	280
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	178	208
Alzheimer's disease	48	67
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	70
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	58
Diabetes mellitus	29	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	22
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
Alzheimer disease and dementia	117	143