Natural State News

There were 54 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Arkansas in the week ending July 17, making up 7.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arkansas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 17, there were 715 deaths in the state. 20.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.9 percent were from cancer and 19.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.3 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	147	20.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	121	16.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	72	10.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	65	9.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	54	7.6
Alzheimer's disease	33	4.6
Diabetes mellitus	25	3.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	3.4
Influenza and pneumonia	16	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.5

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	52	7.3