Most people don’t realize their heart, kidney, and metabolic health—how the body creates, uses, and stores energy—is connected.
(Feature Impact) Diabetes and kidney disease are major risk factors for heart disease, yet many cases go undiagnosed. In fact, most people don’t realize their heart, kidney, and metabolic health—how the body creates, uses, and stores energy—is connected. Understanding these connections can help you take steps toward protecting your long-term health.
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome A health condition including heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity. Many people don’t realize they’re at risk, though, because they’re not aware of health risks outside of the heart. About 1 in 4 US adults with diabetes don’t know they have it 2026 Statistics Update From the American Heart Association. In addition, Information According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 out of 10 adults with chronic kidney disease do not know they are living with the condition.
Learning about CKM syndrome can be a helpful step in understanding your overall health picture.
How are CKM conditions linked?
shared risk factors for heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes – including high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; excess weight; And kidney function decreases – and they closely connected. Having one condition often increases the chance of developing others.
“We’re encouraging people to be aware of the connection between conditions so they and their healthcare team can think about their overall health,” said American Heart Association volunteer president Stacey E. Rosen, MD, FAHA, executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and senior vice president of women’s health at Northwell Health. “Understanding the connection helps you prevent complications through lifestyle changes and appropriate treatment.”
The greatest health threats in CKM syndrome are disability and death from heart disease and stroke, which make up the “cardiovascular” part of CKM. The “metabolic” section includes diabetes and obesity. Kidney disease is closely related to both metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
How common is CKM syndrome?
CKM-related risks are common. About 90% of US adults have at least one risk factor for CKM syndrome. The 2026 statistics report shows that about half of all US adults have high blood pressure, about 1 in 3 have high total cholesterol, more than half have prediabetes or diabetes, about 1 in 7 have kidney disease, and more than half have waist circumference.
These risks often develop slowly, with little or no symptoms at first, but you can be aware. Rosen emphasizes regular screening of your cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic health, which can catch problems early.
“Given current risk factor rates, everyone could benefit from being screened in this way,” he said.
Regular check-ins with your healthcare team can give you a clearer picture of your CKM health. They may test your:
- blood pressure
- Cholesterol panel (total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides)
- Blood glucose (blood sugar), measured either in the short term as fasting glucose or in the long term as A1C
- Body weight and height are measured by body mass index and waist circumference
- Kidney function, using both UACR and eGFR
This result can be used Avoid online calculators To estimate your risk for cardiovascular disease in the next 10 or 30 years. CKM syndrome is often preventable and can be improved with healthy daily habits 8 essentials of life and science-based medicine.
The CKM Health Initiative was launched by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of the link between CKM syndrome conditions and improve diagnosis rates. It is supported by founding sponsors Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim, supporting sponsors Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Bayer, and champion sponsor DaVita.
visit Heart.org/myCKMhealth Learn more about CKM health, including screening and treatment options.
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Previously published at editors.familyfeatures.com
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Photo credit: American Heart Association
