Prairie State Wire

There were 39 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Illinois in the week ending July 17, making up 1.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 2,105 deaths in the state. 20.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9 percent were from cancer and 3.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	461	21.9
Heart disease	427	20.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	118	5.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	96	4.6
Diabetes mellitus	63	3
Alzheimer's disease	55	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	48	2.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	2
Influenza and pneumonia	39	1.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	1.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	165	7.8