Hoosier State Today

There were 36 deaths with Alzheimer's disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 56.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 608 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 2.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 13.2% 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 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	128	171
Heart disease	127	190
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	66
Alzheimer's disease	36	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	59
Diabetes mellitus	24	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	27
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	90