Hawkeye Reporter

There were 11 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa in the week ending July 17, making up two percent of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 558 deaths in the state. 22.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7 percent were from cancer and 4.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	125	22.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	121	21.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	27	4.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	22	3.9
Alzheimer's disease	15	2.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	2.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	2
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	8.4