Hoosier State Today

There were 37 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Indiana during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 7.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 792 deaths in the state. 19.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	155	201
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	150	164
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	66	69
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	15
Diabetes mellitus	28	36
Alzheimer's disease	24	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	24
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	79	122