Volunteer State News

There were 36 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Tennessee during the week ending June 25, 2022, a 20% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 25, 2022, there were 1,307 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.7% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Heart disease	294	334
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	270	284
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	70	76
Cerebrovascular diseases	68	83
Alzheimer's disease	59	59
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	47	48
Diabetes mellitus	41	43
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	30
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	23
Influenza and pneumonia	15	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	123	132