Natural State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arkansas in the week ending June 17, making up less than 1.6% of total deaths by all causes in Arkansas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 627 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and less than 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5% 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	153	24.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	116	18.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	5.6
Diabetes mellitus	29	4.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	4
Alzheimer's disease	23	3.7
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	7.5