Enchantment State News

There were 67 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 45.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 271 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.7% were from cancer and 11.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7% 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 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	67	46
Heart disease	58	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	19	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	16
Cerebrovascular diseases	16	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	13
Diabetes mellitus	11	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	19	33