Constitution State News

There were less than 10 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending March 12, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 437 deaths in the state. 23.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and less than 2.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	103	110
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	81	91
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	24
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	18
Alzheimer's disease	10	24
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	29

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	62