Hoosier State Today

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending May 7, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 793 deaths in the state. 22.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11% 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 May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	176	207
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	160	168
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	65	56
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	29
Diabetes mellitus	29	24
Alzheimer's disease	26	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	17
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	16
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	95