Mountain State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending May 14, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 14, 2022, there were 340 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.5% were from cancer and 4.4% were from COVID-19.

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 May 14, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022
Heart disease	71	79
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	56	73
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	32
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	12	17
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	10	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10