Pine State News

There were 12 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Maine during the week ending March 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 289 deaths in the state. 17.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3% were from cancer and 12.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 16.3% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	50	44
Heart disease	50	60
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	19
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	15
Alzheimer's disease	15	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	14	11
Diabetes mellitus	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	25