Hawkeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending March 19, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 19, 2022, there were 407 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 6.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 17.2% 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 March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Heart disease	95	91
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	84	94
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	22
Alzheimer's disease	29	26
Cerebrovascular diseases	20	26
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	24
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 12, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	70	56