Natural State News

There were 11 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 666 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Heart disease	138	167
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	131	126
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	55
Alzheimer's disease	26	32
Diabetes mellitus	25	31
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	29
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	23
Influenza and pneumonia	11	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	60