Volunteer State News

There were 111 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending May 8, making up 6.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, there were 1,624 deaths in the state. 22.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16 percent were from cancer and 12.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	361	22.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	260	16
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	111	6.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	99	6.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	87	5.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	68	4.2
Diabetes mellitus	52	3.2
Alzheimer's disease	45	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	24	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	19	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	138	8.5