Hawkeye Reporter

There were 21 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 16.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 389 deaths in the state. 25.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.7% were from cancer and less than 2.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.9% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	99	130
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	92	92
Alzheimer's disease	27	17
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	18
Cerebrovascular diseases	19	13
Diabetes mellitus	11	13
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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	54	56