The Sconi

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a 23.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 1,036 deaths in the state. 21% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.8% were from cancer and 5.5% 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 Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	247	203
Heart disease	218	215
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	36	43
Alzheimer's disease	32	39
Diabetes mellitus	30	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	98	91