Natural State News

There were 49 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, a 53.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, 2022, there were 645 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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 Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Heart disease	150	136
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	125	137
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	32
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	31
Alzheimer's disease	24	32
Diabetes mellitus	16	25
Influenza and pneumonia	14	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	12
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 12, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	62	65