Buckeye Reporter

There were 80 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending October 16, a 7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 16, there were 2,991 deaths in the state. 17.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16 percent were from cancer and 39.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5 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 2021-10-16	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	618	623
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	562	560
Heart disease	525	560
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	480	498
Cerebrovascular diseases	140	135
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	133	136
Alzheimer's disease	98	104
Diabetes mellitus	80	86
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	39
Influenza and pneumonia	25	38

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-16	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09
Alzheimer disease and dementia	223	224