Sunflower State News

There were 17 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Kansas during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 30.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 560 deaths in the state. 18.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2% were from cancer and 3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	130	98
Heart disease	105	124
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	28
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	30
Alzheimer's disease	24	13
Diabetes mellitus	17	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	17
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	59	42