Hoosier State Today

There were 13 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending September 11, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 11, there were 1,573 deaths in the state. 17.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.1 percent were from cancer and 37.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.4 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	306	222
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	285	204
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	269	283
Heart disease	269	259
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	80	82
Cerebrovascular diseases	68	64
Alzheimer's disease	45	46
Diabetes mellitus	34	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	22
Influenza and pneumonia	13	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	100	120