Gem State Wire

There were 76 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending September 18, a 33.3 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 18, there were 465 deaths in the state. 16.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.5 percent were from cancer and 61.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	149	112
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	135	108
Heart disease	76	57
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	58	48
Alzheimer's disease	21	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	19	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-18	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	41	30