Volunteer State News

There were 93 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending May 22, making up 6.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, there were 1,527 deaths in the state. 19.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7 percent were from cancer and 12.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 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	295	19.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	285	18.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	103	6.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	98	6.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	93	6.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	63	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	47	3.1
Alzheimer's disease	47	3.1
Influenza and pneumonia	23	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	116	7.6