Hawkeye Reporter

There were 26 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Iowa during the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, a 18.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, there were 587 deaths in the state. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 6.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Heart disease	131	146
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	117	118
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	30
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	22
Alzheimer's disease	25	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	23
Diabetes mellitus	14	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	18
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	58	69