Bluegrass Times

There were 21 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Kentucky in the week ending July 31, making up 2.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Kentucky, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 979 deaths in the state. 24.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4 percent were from cancer and 14 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	242	24.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	170	17.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	73	7.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	64	6.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	53	5.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	4.5
Alzheimer's disease	35	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	21	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	89	9.1