Natural State News

There were 22 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 31.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 642 deaths in the state. 24.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 10% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Heart disease	155	159
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	123	122
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	45
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	24
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	17
Alzheimer's disease	26	30
Diabetes mellitus	22	32
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	51	52