Rushmore State News

There were 10 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in South Dakota during the week ending Dec. 18, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 18, there were 121 deaths in the state. 19.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2 percent were from cancer and 41.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9 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 2021-12-18	Number of Deaths 2021-12-11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	25
Heart disease	24	28
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	22	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18	Number of Deaths 2021-12-11
Alzheimer disease and dementia	12	15