Buckeye Reporter

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 16.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 1,487 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4% were from cancer and 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	310	394
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	258	346
Cerebrovascular diseases	111	97
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	77	107
Alzheimer's disease	58	77
Diabetes mellitus	38	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	39
Influenza and pneumonia	18	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	143	171