Hoosier State Today

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending April 30, making up less than 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, there were 569 deaths in the state. 24.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and less than 1.8% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	140	24.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	116	20.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	7.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	21	3.7
Alzheimer's disease	18	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	17	3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.8