Natural State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas in the week ending July 8, making up less than 1.5% of total deaths by all causes in Arkansas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 655 deaths in the state. 27.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.7% were from cancer and less than 1.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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	179	27.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	116	17.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	33	5
Diabetes mellitus	29	4.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	3.7
Influenza and pneumonia	15	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	56	8.5