Big Sky Times

There were 56 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Montana during the week ending June 24, a 16.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 195 deaths in the state. 28.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 17.9% were from cancer Additionally, 8.2% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Heart disease	56	48
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	35	37
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	0
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	0
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	16	18