Mountain State Times

There were 16 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in West Virginia during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 14.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 457 deaths in the state. 19.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.2% 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 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	96	88
Heart disease	88	76
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	29
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	18
Diabetes mellitus	16	14
Alzheimer's disease	15	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	12	23
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	33	40