Buckeye Reporter

There were 12 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 55.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 1,524 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.8% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	297	431
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	271	353
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	77	101
Cerebrovascular diseases	76	107
Alzheimer's disease	72	77
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	59	100
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	75
Diabetes mellitus	42	62
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	38
Influenza and pneumonia	12	27

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	160	179