Minnesota State Wire

There were 15 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Minnesota in the week ending Feb. 12, making up 2.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 682 deaths in the state. 18.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6 percent were from cancer and 31.8 percent were from COVID-19.

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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	19.6
Heart disease	127	18.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	117	17.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	100	14.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	5.9
Alzheimer's disease	33	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	28	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	15	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.5