Hawkeye Reporter

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 40% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 514 deaths in the state. 20.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Heart disease	106	117
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	105	118
Alzheimer's disease	28	15
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	21
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	22	29
Diabetes mellitus	20	14
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	23
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	53	46