The Sconi

There were 222 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, a 3.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 13, 2022, there were 1,087 deaths in the state. 20.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 8.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5% 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 Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	227	187
Heart disease	222	231
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	55	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	49
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	46
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	37	24
Alzheimer's disease	36	44
Diabetes mellitus	27	23
Influenza and pneumonia	18	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	81	96