Hawkeye Reporter

There were 118 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 16.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 386 deaths in the state. 30.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and less than 2.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.7% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	118	101
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	81	82
Alzheimer's disease	17	23
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	27
Diabetes mellitus	12	12
Cerebrovascular diseases	12	23
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	53	49