Gem State Wire

There were 59 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 11.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 318 deaths in the state. 18.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.6% 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. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	59	67
Heart disease	58	47
Alzheimer's disease	19	19
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	37	31