Hawkeye Reporter

There were 25 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Iowa during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a 24.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 535 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 7.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Heart disease	116	138
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	115	122
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	33
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	21	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	26
Alzheimer's disease	20	19
Diabetes mellitus	18	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	22
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	59	56