Buckeye Reporter

There were 67 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 28.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 2,138 deaths in the state. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 4.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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 July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	476	490
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	433	403
Cerebrovascular diseases	129	116
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	103	110
Alzheimer's disease	91	65
Diabetes mellitus	67	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	62	58
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	37	40
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	35	40
Influenza and pneumonia	18	26

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	203	161