Peace Garden News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in North Dakota in the week ending May 22, 2021, making up less than 7.2% of total deaths by all causes in North Dakota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 138 deaths in the state. 21% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and less than 7.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.3% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	29	21
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	27	19.6
Alzheimer's disease	10	7.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 7.2
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 7.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 7.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 7.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 7.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 7.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	0

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	17	12.3