Hawkeye Reporter

There were 11 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending July 30, 2022, a 8.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 30, 2022, there were 491 deaths in the state. 26.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 10.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Heart disease	132	130
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	107	96
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	30	21
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	28
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	23	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	12
Alzheimer's disease	17	17
Diabetes mellitus	11	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	44