Hawkeye Reporter

There were 18 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 35.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 562 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.8% were from cancer and 7.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	134	105
Heart disease	126	108
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	26
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	13
Alzheimer's disease	18	28
Diabetes mellitus	17	21
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	48	54