Big Sky Times

There were 11 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Montana during the week ending September 11, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 11, there were 275 deaths in the state. 13.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.5 percent were from cancer and 44.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2 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 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	64	42
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	58	35
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	48	48
Heart disease	38	50
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	11	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	17	24