Natural State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas in the week ending Aug. 5, 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 Aug. 5, there were 616 deaths in the state. 23.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and less than 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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	146	23.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	115	18.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	6.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	31	5
Diabetes mellitus	26	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	26	4.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 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	58	9.4