Natural State News

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 2.1% of total deaths by all causes in Arkansas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 614 deaths in the state. 29.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16% were from cancer and 5.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9% 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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	183	29.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	98	16
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	52	8.5
Alzheimer's disease	26	4.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	4.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	23	3.7
Influenza and pneumonia	22	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	22	3.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	2.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	2.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	55	9