Gem State Wire

There were 23 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending May 28, 2022, a 35.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 28, 2022, there were 242 deaths in the state. 24% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and less than 4.1% were from COVID-19.

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 May 28, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 21, 2022
Heart disease	58	60
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	48	49
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	17
Alzheimer's disease	15	11
Diabetes mellitus	12	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10