Volunteer State News

There were 112 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee in the week ending December 25, making up 10.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Tennessee, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 1,024 deaths in the state. 17.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.8 percent were from cancer and 22.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9 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	181	17.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	162	15.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	118	11.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	112	10.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	6.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	3.9
Alzheimer's disease	37	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	27	2.6
Influenza and pneumonia	20	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	16	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	92	9