Silver State Times

There were 17 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Nevada in the week ending July 22, making up 3.4% of total deaths by all causes in Nevada, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 501 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.4% were from cancer and less than 2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2% 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
Heart disease	101	20.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	17.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	3.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	18	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	17	3.4
Alzheimer's disease	14	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	31	6.2