Hoosier State Today

There were 59 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 22.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 1,257 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 10.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	271	262
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	254	247
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	75	60
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	73	57
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	62	46
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	48
Diabetes mellitus	39	49
Alzheimer's disease	36	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	29
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	108	104