Natural State News

There were 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Arkansas during the week ending June 17, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 627 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and less than 1.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5% 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 June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Heart disease	153	152
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	116	121
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	37
Diabetes mellitus	29	22
Cerebrovascular diseases	25	24
Alzheimer's disease	23	30
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	19
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 17	Deaths in Week Ending June 10
Alzheimer disease and dementia	47	63