Prairie State Wire

There were 46 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Illinois in the week ending Dec. 3, making up two% of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 2,335 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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	499	21.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	445	19.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	124	5.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	88	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	87	3.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	73	3.1
Influenza and pneumonia	72	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	70	3
Diabetes mellitus	70	3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	46	2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	248	10.6