Hoosier State Today

There were 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending June 17, making up 0.8% of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 1,284 deaths in the state. 21.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 2.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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	281	21.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	279	21.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	94	7.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	5
Diabetes mellitus	41	3.2
Alzheimer's disease	35	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	2.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	17	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	0.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	115	9