Hawkeye Reporter

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 7.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 544 deaths in the state. 27.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.2% 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 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Heart disease	150	153
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	118	121
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	30
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	32
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	23
Diabetes mellitus	18	22
Alzheimer's disease	16	29
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	39	52