Keystone Today

There were 77 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 13.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 2,234 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 5.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	503	485
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	464	467
Cerebrovascular diseases	104	113
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	98	100
Alzheimer's disease	79	71
Diabetes mellitus	77	68
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	73	108
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	48	50
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	48	64
Influenza and pneumonia	33	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	234	203