Hoosier State Today

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending April 30, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, 2022, there were 769 deaths in the state. 25% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.3% 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 April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Heart disease	192	168
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	148	139
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	39
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	45
Alzheimer's disease	23	26
Diabetes mellitus	21	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	92