Hawkeye Reporter

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa in the week ending July 31, making up three percent of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 31, there were 540 deaths in the state. 24.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6 percent were from cancer and 5.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8 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	133	24.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	106	19.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	5.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	19	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	17	3.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	8