Hoosier State Today

There were 36 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending June 26, making up 2.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 26, there were 1,242 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4 percent were from cancer and 6.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	266	21.4
Heart disease	264	21.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	74	6
Cerebrovascular diseases	67	5.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	3.6
Alzheimer's disease	42	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	39	3.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	96	7.7