Pine State News

There were less than 10 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Maine during the week ending August 28, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 28, there were 303 deaths in the state. 18.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8 percent were from cancer and 11.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3 percent 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 2021-08-28	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	60	68
Heart disease	57	68
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	18	25
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21
Alzheimer disease and dementia	25	27