Hawkeye Reporter

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 36.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 481 deaths in the state. 26.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20% were from cancer and 6.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Heart disease	129	143
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	96	111
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	27	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	31
Alzheimer's disease	17	21
Diabetes mellitus	12	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	19
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	49