Volunteer State News

There were 287 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending August 14, making up 15.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,805 deaths in the state. 19.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.5 percent were from cancer and 32.4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.6 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	355	19.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	298	16.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	287	15.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	261	14.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	87	4.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	84	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	58	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	54	3
Influenza and pneumonia	28	1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	119	6.6