Hoosier State Today

There were 85 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending Dec. 25, a 4.5 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 25, there were 1,210 deaths in the state. 17.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.8 percent were from cancer and 51.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 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 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	325	360
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	294	336
Heart disease	210	277
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	191	238
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	85	89
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	56
Diabetes mellitus	35	41
Alzheimer's disease	31	51
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	34
Influenza and pneumonia	14	23

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25	Number of Deaths 2021-12-18
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	117