The Sconi

There were 234 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 10.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 1,014 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.1% were from cancer and 5.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	234	212
Heart disease	219	229
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	52
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	38
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	36	42
Alzheimer's disease	30	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	32
Diabetes mellitus	18	28
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	11
Influenza and pneumonia	10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	84	80