Hoosier State Today

There were 26 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 18.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 1,356 deaths in the state. 22.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 4.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.4% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	310	309
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	267	287
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	77	84
Cerebrovascular diseases	67	75
Alzheimer's disease	46	43
Diabetes mellitus	43	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	41
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	26	22
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	25	32
Influenza and pneumonia	13	11

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	141	138