Hoosier State Today

There were 271 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 2.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 1,203 deaths in the state. 20.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.5% were from cancer and 10.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	271	277
Heart disease	243	241
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	81	81
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	61
Cerebrovascular diseases	55	53
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	51	44
Diabetes mellitus	39	38
Alzheimer's disease	38	39
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	31
Influenza and pneumonia	12	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	117	110