Buckeye Reporter

There were 31 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 6.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 2,474 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	515	536
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	485	501
Cerebrovascular diseases	133	147
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	121	121
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	97	112
Alzheimer's disease	82	96
Diabetes mellitus	77	82
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	64	68
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	58	46
Influenza and pneumonia	31	33

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	209	240