Hoosier State Today

There were 30 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending April 2, 2022, a 9.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 2, 2022, there were 844 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7% 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 April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Heart disease	190	173
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	171	158
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	66	69
Cerebrovascular diseases	59	53
Diabetes mellitus	30	33
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	38
Alzheimer's disease	23	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	22
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	90	81