Natural State News

There were 83 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 3.8% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 446 deaths in the state. 23.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and less than 2.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	103	112
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	83	80
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	43
Cerebrovascular diseases	29	26
Diabetes mellitus	21	12
Alzheimer's disease	19	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	12	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	38	51