Buckeye Reporter

There were 36 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, a 9.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 2,516 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.2% were from cancer and 7.7% 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 Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Heart disease	535	535
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	459	467
Cerebrovascular diseases	148	123
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	127	124
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	119	98
Alzheimer's disease	95	92
Diabetes mellitus	75	79
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	75	71
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	60
Influenza and pneumonia	36	33

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	229	206