Hoosier State Today

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Indiana during the week ending June 17, a 12.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 1,284 deaths in the state. 21.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7% were from cancer and 2.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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 June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Heart disease	281	268
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	279	281
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	94	73
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	59
Diabetes mellitus	41	29
Alzheimer's disease	35	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	35
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	16
Influenza and pneumonia	17	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	115	106