Enchantment State News

There were 17 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending March 12, a 5.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 237 deaths in the state. 14.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3% were from cancer and 14.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.4% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	41	54
Heart disease	35	57
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	32
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	28
Alzheimer's disease	10	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	27	23