Enchantment State News

There were 12 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 50% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 251 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9% were from cancer and 10.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.4% 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 June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Heart disease	48	66
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	45	64
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	11
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	12	24
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	31	45