Buckeye Reporter

There were 89 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a 6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 2,306 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 8.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	479	436
Heart disease	474	503
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	126	123
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	123	160
Cerebrovascular diseases	112	131
Alzheimer's disease	89	84
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	78	95
Diabetes mellitus	70	59
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	39
Influenza and pneumonia	19	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	195	200