Natural State News

There were 33 deaths with cerebrovascular disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 8.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 634 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 4.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7% 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 May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	148	161
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	131	123
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	36
Diabetes mellitus	21	23
Alzheimer's disease	20	28
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	16	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	12
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	49	45