Bluegrass Times

There were 13 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Kentucky during the week ending March 5, a 31.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 588 deaths in the state. 19.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 28.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.1% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	120	125
Heart disease	114	136
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	99	163
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	66	125
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	46
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	36
Alzheimer's disease	22	31
Diabetes mellitus	13	19
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	71	78