Big Sky Times

There were less than 10 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Montana during the week ending May 21, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, 2022, there were 109 deaths in the state. 19.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26.6% were from cancer and less than 9.2% 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 21, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 14, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	29	30
Heart disease	21	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10