Natural State News

There were 107 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas in the week ending July 24, making up 14.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Arkansas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 723 deaths in the state. 18.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17 percent were from cancer and 31 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2 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	132	18.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	123	17
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	117	16.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	107	14.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	5.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	24	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	21	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	45	6.2