The Sconi

There were 31 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 1,140 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	233	239
Heart disease	230	264
Cerebrovascular diseases	71	51
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	55	43
Alzheimer's disease	51	47
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	48	32
Diabetes mellitus	31	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	22
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	21
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	122	122