Natural State News

There were 14 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending May 7, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 459 deaths in the state. 24% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19% were from cancer and less than 2.2% 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 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	110	133
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	87	95
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	32
Alzheimer's disease	30	20
Cerebrovascular diseases	17	24
Diabetes mellitus	14	14
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	11
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	40