Natural State News

There were 45 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending Feb. 12, a 18.2 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Feb. 12, there were 688 deaths in the state. 21.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 11.9 percent were from cancer and 50.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.7 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 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	182	213
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	163	193
Heart disease	149	142
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	82	101
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	26
Alzheimer's disease	23	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	11
Diabetes mellitus	16	27
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-02-12	Number of Deaths 2022-02-05
Alzheimer disease and dementia	46	66