Hoosier State Today

There were 82 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 42.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 342 deaths in the state. 24% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6% were from cancer and less than 2.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.6% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	82	142
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	74	135
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	24	54
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	12
Alzheimer's disease	12	37
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	15
Influenza and pneumonia	0	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	43	86