Hawkeye Reporter

There were 37 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Iowa in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 6.5% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 571 deaths in the state. 26.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.9% were from cancer and 11.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.7% 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	150	26.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	91	15.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	6.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	6.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	5.3
Influenza and pneumonia	25	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	25	4.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	15	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	78	13.7