Constitution State News

There were less than 10 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Connecticut during the week ending July 30, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 577 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.6% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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 July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	136	120
Heart disease	119	121
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	12
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	22
Alzheimer's disease	18	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	31
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	50	69