Natural State News

There were 13 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 18.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 486 deaths in the state. 25.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5% were from cancer and 2.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	125	118
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	95	68
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	38	29
Diabetes mellitus	24	25
Alzheimer's disease	21	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	21
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	13
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	16
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	44	47