Buckeye Reporter

There were 17 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 30.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 1,568 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	338	397
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	284	359
Cerebrovascular diseases	104	91
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	83	94
Alzheimer's disease	58	81
Diabetes mellitus	56	61
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	65
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	39
Influenza and pneumonia	17	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	138	174