Buckeye Reporter

There were 98 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Ohio in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 5.4% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 1,807 deaths in the state. 17.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 10% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.2% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	350	19.4
Heart disease	321	17.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	105	5.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	103	5.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	98	5.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	75	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	70	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	60	3.3
Influenza and pneumonia	50	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	238	13.2