Last Frontier News

There were less than 10 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Alaska in the week ending Nov. 12, making up less than 9.7% of total deaths by all causes in Alaska, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 103 deaths in the state. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease and 24.3% were from cancer

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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	25	24.3
Heart disease	23	22.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 9.7
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 9.7
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 9.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 9.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	< 10	< 9.7
Influenza and pneumonia	0	0
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	0	0
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	0	0