Enchantment State News

There were less than 10 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending Jan. 1, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 1, there were 353 deaths in the state. 15.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15 percent were from cancer and 47.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.5 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 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	86	105
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	81	101
Heart disease	55	50
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	53	61
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	14
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	17
Diabetes mellitus	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	16

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
Alzheimer disease and dementia	23	33