Garden State Times

There were 31 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, a 11.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, 2022, there were 1,370 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5% 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 Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	301	314
Heart disease	299	325
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	70
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	46
Alzheimer's disease	36	45
Diabetes mellitus	31	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	31
Influenza and pneumonia	15	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	103	130