Grand Canyon Times

There were 33 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Arizona during the week ending Feb. 26, a 26.7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 26, there were 1,098 deaths in the state. 18.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.5 percent were from cancer and 29 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2022-02-26	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19
Heart disease	200	219
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	169	262
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	149	230
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	148	218
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	74
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	53
Alzheimer's disease	44	40
Diabetes mellitus	33	45
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	13
Influenza and pneumonia	11	13

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-26	Number of Deaths 2022-02-19
Alzheimer disease and dementia	103	117