Natural State News

There were 11 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending August 28, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 28, there were 886 deaths in the state. 20.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.1 percent were from cancer and 45.7 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	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	213	226
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	192	211
Heart disease	179	164
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	143	109
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	45
Diabetes mellitus	37	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	22
Alzheimer's disease	30	38
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28	Number of Deaths 2021-08-21
Alzheimer disease and dementia	55	56