Natural State News

There were 10 deaths with nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending March 12, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 12, there were 486 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.6% were from cancer and 16.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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 March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Heart disease	101	139
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	76	92
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	57
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	39
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	37	49
Cerebrovascular diseases	32	23
Alzheimer's disease	26	27
Diabetes mellitus	15	31
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 12	Deaths in Week Ending March 5
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	55