Hawkeye Reporter

There were 15 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending May 28, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 28, 2022, there were 495 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.2% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19.

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 28, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 21, 2022
Heart disease	131	112
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	110	100
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	26	35
Alzheimer's disease	25	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	23	20
Diabetes mellitus	15	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	12
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	11