Natural State News

There were 76 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending April 30, 2022, a 31.5% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, 2022, there were 420 deaths in the state. 28.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and less than 2.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Heart disease	120	119
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	76	111
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	33
Cerebrovascular diseases	22	32
Diabetes mellitus	12	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	25	46