Silver State Times

There were 12 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Nevada during the week ending June 24, a 25% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 512 deaths in the state. 25.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18% were from cancer and 2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Heart disease	131	135
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	92	105
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	28
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	26
Alzheimer's disease	13	14
Diabetes mellitus	12	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	39	31