The Sconi

There were 39 deaths from Alzheimer's disease reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Feb. 12, making up 5.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 726 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.3 percent were from cancer and 23.6 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
Heart disease	151	20.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	111	15.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	100	13.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	71	9.8
Alzheimer's disease	39	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	4.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	4
Diabetes mellitus	20	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.4