Mountain State Times

There were 11 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending March 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 382 deaths in the state. 18.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 19.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	72	61
Heart disease	70	69
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	44	62
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	32	52
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	22	14
Alzheimer's disease	15	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	37	30