Natural State News

There were 92 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 13.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 508 deaths in the state. 22.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 10% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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 March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	113	124
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	92	81
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	39
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	31	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	19
Alzheimer's disease	21	24
Diabetes mellitus	20	37
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	14
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	45	46