Hoosier State Today

There were 45 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 3.6% of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 1,257 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 8.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.8% 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	273	21.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	250	19.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	102	8.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	62	4.9
Alzheimer's disease	59	4.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	59	4.7
Diabetes mellitus	48	3.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	45	3.6
Influenza and pneumonia	38	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	161	12.8