Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa in the week ending July 22, making up less than 2% of total deaths by all causes in Iowa, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 22, there were 497 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.3% were from cancer and less than 2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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	116	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	111	22.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	8.2
Alzheimer's disease	24	4.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	15	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	45	9.1