Buckeye Reporter

There were 111 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Ohio in the week ending July 8, making up 4.9% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 2,287 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 0.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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	502	22
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	443	19.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	119	5.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	111	4.9
Diabetes mellitus	88	3.8
Alzheimer's disease	79	3.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	0.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	190	8.3