The Sconi

There were 25 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 2.2% of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 1,114 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 7.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	237	21.3
Heart disease	235	21.1
Alzheimer's disease	52	4.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	51	4.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	3.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	3.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	31	2.8
Diabetes mellitus	25	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 0.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	114	10.2