Old North News

There were 14 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in North Carolina during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 16.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 838 deaths in the state. 15.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.9% were from cancer and 4.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	200	199
Heart disease	129	130
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	51
Alzheimer's disease	33	37
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	48
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	19
Diabetes mellitus	14	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	27
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	86	79