The Sconi

There were 31 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 24.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 1,040 deaths in the state. 22.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Heart disease	237	198
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	214	205
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	52
Alzheimer's disease	42	37
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	33
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	22
Diabetes mellitus	19	19
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	99	73