Buckeye Reporter

There were 67 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Ohio in the week ending Aug. 5, making up 3.3% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 2,059 deaths in the state. 19.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 1.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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)	442	21.5
Heart disease	409	19.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	115	5.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	86	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	73	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	67	3.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	41	2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	0.8
Influenza and pneumonia	14	0.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	161	7.8