Natural State News

There were 30 deaths with diabetes mellitus listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 30.4% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 646 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.7% were from cancer and 7.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Heart disease	152	157
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	108	124
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	42	44
Cerebrovascular diseases	36	36
Diabetes mellitus	30	23
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	37
Alzheimer's disease	23	26
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	27
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	51