Hoosier State Today

There were 93 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Indiana in the week ending Dec. 3, making up seven% of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 1,334 deaths in the state. 23.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.3% were from cancer and 7.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	308	23.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	231	17.3
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	93	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	76	5.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	62	4.6
Alzheimer's disease	50	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	45	3.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	44	3.3
Influenza and pneumonia	27	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	142	10.6