Natural State News

There were 43 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending May 29, 2021, a 16.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 29, 2021, there were 644 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.7% were from cancer and 4.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2% 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 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Heart disease	144	154
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	101	120
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	37
Alzheimer's disease	34	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	29
Diabetes mellitus	21	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	20
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 29, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	66	58