Yellowhammer Times

There were 17 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Alabama in the week ending Sept. 17, making up 2.5% of total deaths by all causes in Alabama, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, there were 676 deaths in the state. 25.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 7.2% were from COVID-19.

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
Heart disease	173	25.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	135	20
Alzheimer's disease	47	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	47	7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	3.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	2.8
Diabetes mellitus	17	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	11	1.6