Hoosier State Today

There were 75 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Indiana during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 1.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 1,237 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 10.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	268	256
Heart disease	253	278
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	78	77
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	75	74
Cerebrovascular diseases	66	61
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	57	62
Alzheimer's disease	37	36
Diabetes mellitus	35	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	27
Influenza and pneumonia	16	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	98	108