The Sconi

There were 50 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, a 11.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 1, 2022, there were 1,105 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 5.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Heart disease	235	236
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	230	224
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	56	32
Alzheimer's disease	50	45
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	36
Diabetes mellitus	27	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 1, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	121	107