Buckeye Reporter

There were 152 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Ohio in the week ending Dec. 3, making up 5.6% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 2,692 deaths in the state. 21.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.6% were from cancer and 6.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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	580	21.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	475	17.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	153	5.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	152	5.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	107	4
Alzheimer's disease	103	3.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	73	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	72	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	70	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	48	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	233	8.7