Hoosier State Today

There were 35 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 25.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 1,238 deaths in the state. 24.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 11% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Heart disease	308	268
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	238	256
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	74	73
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	83
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	62	67
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	68
Alzheimer's disease	35	47
Diabetes mellitus	31	47
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	17
Influenza and pneumonia	10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	103	125