Buckeye Reporter

There were 82 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 8.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 1,595 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 2.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	347	422
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	301	384
Cerebrovascular diseases	86	118
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	82	90
Alzheimer's disease	73	79
Diabetes mellitus	47	55
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	33
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	56
Influenza and pneumonia	17	22
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	31

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	156	163