The Sconi

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 41.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,041 deaths in the state. 20.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 5.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	217	233
Heart disease	212	199
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	48
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	36	50
Alzheimer's disease	32	40
Diabetes mellitus	22	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	89	106