Gem State Wire

There were 39 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending Jan. 22, a 40 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 22, there were 271 deaths in the state. 14.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3 percent were from cancer and 28.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.9 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 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	47	75
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	53
Heart disease	39	65
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	44
Alzheimer's disease	18	18
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	12	27
Diabetes mellitus	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	17

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-22	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15
Alzheimer disease and dementia	35	38