Volunteer State News

There were 37 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Tennessee during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 5.7% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 1,220 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 4.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Heart disease	276	265
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	254	234
Cerebrovascular diseases	82	80
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	70	69
Alzheimer's disease	53	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	35
Diabetes mellitus	26	43
Influenza and pneumonia	23	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	21	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	132