Hawkeye Reporter

There were 22 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 15.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 361 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 2.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	88	100
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	76	86
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	29
Alzheimer's disease	22	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	22
Diabetes mellitus	10	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	47