Natural State News

There were 17 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 41.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 686 deaths in the state. 24.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.8% were from cancer and 5.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Heart disease	167	148
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	115	133
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	33
Diabetes mellitus	32	21
Alzheimer's disease	25	20
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	12	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	54	49