Keystone Today

There were 55 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 31.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 2,709 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 7.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	559	610
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	521	532
Cerebrovascular diseases	132	131
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	132	138
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	115	137
Alzheimer's disease	88	81
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	76	91
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	63	67
Diabetes mellitus	55	80
Influenza and pneumonia	44	42

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	271	253