Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa in the week ending May 21, making up less than 3.5% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, there were 282 deaths in the state. 23.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5% were from cancer and less than 3.5% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	66	23.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	55	19.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	7.4
Alzheimer's disease	16	5.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	13	4.6
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 3.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 3.5
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 3.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 3.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 3.5