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A medical condition affects nine-out-of-ten adults in the United States at some point in their lives—but most people have not even heard of it. Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a newly-defined health condition characterized by heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity—issues which can interact with each other in critical ways. A recent survey from the American Heart Association asked 4,007 adults a series of questions about CKM health and found that only 12 percent had ever heard of the syndrome—almost 9 in 10 had not. “What this means is that many US adults have a health issue that needs their attention,” American Heart Association president Stacey E. Rosen told Newsweek. “We also know that most people with CKM syndrome have early risk factors and they’re in a position to take action with lifestyle changes and/or appropriate medications that can reverse or decelerate the disease process and reduce their risk for heart attack, stroke or heart failure.” The risk factors leading to CKM syndrome highlight how the body’s organs and systems depend on one another: when numbers are off in blood pressure, lipids, cholesterol, body weight or blood sugar levels, one can affect the others. This therefore raises a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity—and the interplay of these risk factors also increases the risk for heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Stock image of a doctor advising a woman on her hearth health, and, inset, stock image of human heart anatomy (Picture: Getty Images/ Jacob Wackerhausen/ Rasi Bhadramani) A worrying 68 percent of those surveyed believed it was best to manage individual conditions one at a time, rather than CKM syndrome as a whole, or admitted not knowing how to manage the conditions. However, the research also found that the majority of people polled (72 percent) are interested in learning more, and 70 percent of respondents agreed that it was important to know about CKM health. The American Heart Association’s chief medical officer for prevention, Eduardo Sanchez, said in a statement that it is “really common to have heart, kidney and metabolic risk factors at the same time. It is reassuring that once the CKM connection was defined nearly three-quarters of those responding understood that it was important and wanted to learn more.” “The heart, kidney and metabolic systems are connected and, as such, should be treated in a coordinated way. These results reveal the need to emphasize those connections and help patients understand the importance of collaborative care.” According to the American Heart Association, CKM syndrome can lead to atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, disability, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, stroke, heart failure and even early death. The association is planning to issue the first-ever guidelines on the newly-defined CKM syndrome early next year. Sanchez concluded: “CKM health is about your overall health. It’s a full circle. You can take care of your overall health with regular checks of your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar and kidney function.” Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. Aggarwal, R., Ostrominski, J. W., & Vaduganathan, M. (2024). Prevalence of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome Stages in US Adults, 2011-2020. JAMA, 331(21), 1858–1860. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.6892 Ndumele, C. E., Rangaswami, J., Chow, S. L., Neeland, I. J., Tuttle, K. R., Khan, S. S., Coresh, J., Mathew, R. O., Baker-Smith, C. M., Carnethon, M. R., Despres, J.-P., Ho, J. E., Joseph, J. J., Kernan, W. N., Khera, A., Kosiborod, M. N., Lekavich, C. L., Lewis, E. F., Lo, K. B., … on behalf of the American Heart Association. (2023). Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 148(20), 1606–1635. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001184
