Buckeye Reporter

There were 39 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending April 30, 2022, a 20.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, 2022, there were 1,505 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Heart disease	308	377
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	292	331
Cerebrovascular diseases	93	131
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	72	93
Alzheimer's disease	68	67
Diabetes mellitus	39	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	20
Influenza and pneumonia	17	24

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	137	162