Big Sky Times

There were 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Montana during the week ending May 15, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, there were 194 deaths in the state. 15.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6 percent were from cancer and 5.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3 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 2021-05-15	Number of Deaths 2021-05-08
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	42	38
Heart disease	30	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	13	11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	0

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-05-15	Number of Deaths 2021-05-08
Alzheimer disease and dementia	20	17