Hawkeye Reporter

There were 32 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 31.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 605 deaths in the state. 24.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 6.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	148	162
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	121	119
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	47
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	20
Alzheimer's disease	29	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	27
Diabetes mellitus	22	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	43