Pelican State News

There were 23 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Louisiana during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 34.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 628 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.7% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	155	140
Heart disease	139	182
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	48
Alzheimer's disease	33	33
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	33
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	40
Diabetes mellitus	23	35
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	11
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	62	68