Hawkeye Reporter

There were 18 deaths from diabetes mellitus reported in Iowa in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 2.9% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 618 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.8% were from cancer and 10.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	144	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	110	17.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	6.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	38	6.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	5.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	22	3.6
Influenza and pneumonia	18	2.9
Diabetes mellitus	18	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	81	13.1