Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa in the week ending June 17, making up less than 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 545 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.6% were from cancer and less than 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	123	22.6
Heart disease	120	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	22	4
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	17	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	9.5