Buckeye Reporter

There were 54 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases reported in Ohio in the week ending Feb. 12, making up 4.7 percent of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 1,144 deaths in the state. 14.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.6 percent were from cancer and 34.3 percent were from COVID-19.

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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	215	18.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	179	15.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	177	15.5
Heart disease	171	14.9
Alzheimer's disease	54	4.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	20	1.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1