Hawkeye Reporter

There were 23 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 53.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 537 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 9.9% 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 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	118	120
Heart disease	116	152
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	30	20
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	15
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	34
Alzheimer's disease	15	16
Diabetes mellitus	14	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	39