Peach Tree Times

There were 45 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 7.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 1,865 deaths in the state. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5% were from cancer and 7.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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 Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Heart disease	416	402
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	364	373
Cerebrovascular diseases	97	105
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	93	81
Alzheimer's disease	91	89
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	88	68
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	56	47
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	44
Diabetes mellitus	45	42
Influenza and pneumonia	22	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	169	173