What Is CKM Syndrome: The American Heart Association recently released a presidential advisory naming a new medical condition as cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome. This is because there is more and more proof linking heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.
WHAT DOES CKM SYNDROME MEAN?
The kidneys, metabolism, and heart all work less well in people with CKM syndrome, which is a systemic disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) wants to make people more aware of how obesity, insulin resistance, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease are all linked. They also want to promote better prevention and get doctors from different specialties to work together and take a more whole-person approach to caring for their patients.
Metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease are two main parts of CKM. The metabolic syndrome includes being overweight around the middle, having high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. It can cause problems with the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease types like coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure. It can even cause Type 2 diabetes and raise the risk of getting kidney and heart problems.
Heart and blood vessel problems are also more likely in people with chronic kidney disease. Research shows that heart disease is the main reason people with chronic kidney disease die. The AHA says that only 10% of people with chronic kidney disease make it to the point where their kidneys die. The writers said that chronic kidney disease causes inflammation and can make heart and blood vessel problems worse. It can also cause problems with anemia and bone mineral metabolism, which make cardiovascular disease worse. Heart problems, especially heart failure, can also make chronic kidney disease worse. Also, problems with blood arteries, like atherosclerosis, can affect the blood vessels in the kidneys, which can cause high blood pressure and kidney failure.
WHAT THE STAGES OF CKM SYNDROME ARE
The writers described the five stages of CKM syndrome because they knew that early detection provided a chance to help.
Stage 0: A person in Stage 0 of CKM is not overweight or fat and does not have chronic kidney disease, heart disease, metabolic risk factors, or trouble handling glucose. Young children, teens, and young adults are most likely to be in this stage. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that school programs should promote healthy eating and exercise to help kids avoid weight gain and improve their heart health. For young people, not gaining weight can lower their chances of getting metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or diabetes, which are all risk factors for CKM syndrome.
Stage 1: People are overweight or obese, have belly obesity, or have dysfunctional adipose tissue, but they don’t have any other metabolic risk factors or chronic kidney disease. Also, they might not be able to handle glucose well or be at risk for diabetes.
Stage 2: People have conditions like high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and/or chronic kidney disease.
Stage 3: This stage is for people who have heart failure, peripheral artery disease, carotid artery disease, or aortic disease, as well as risk factors for CKM syndrome or chronic kidney disease.
Stage 4: People in this stage have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, or both. They also have a lot of body fat and other metabolic risk factors. It is split into two groups: 4a is for people who don’t have kidney failure and 4b is for people who do. People may have had a stroke, heart attack, or heart failure in the past.
Columbus Batiste, MD, FACC, FSCAI, co-founder of Healthy Heart Nation, says, “The most important thing I learned is that there is no real prevention; there is only intervention.” “Everyone is likely to get sick.” The AHA said it wasn’t “healthy and normal,” and then they went to stage one. They say “CKM Stage 0″ instead. That seems to set the tone.”
A graph that shows the different stages of the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease
However, Batiste says, “I would love for them to go a little bit more in-depth with a lot of the strong data we know about the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.”
For example, a 2021 review of almost 100 studies found that diets that focus on plant-based foods and limit refined cereals and starches are linked to a lower chance of heart disease compared to diets that focus on animal foods. Some people with stage 2 chronic kidney disease may also find that eating more fruits and veggies may help lower urinary markers of kidney damage.
However, diet is only one part of the issue. Batiste stresses how important exercise is for getting rid of extra belly fat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that people should work out for at least 150 minutes a week, which is 30 minutes five days a week.
“I always tell my patients that it’s about exercise as a way of life,” Batiste says. “That means trimming plants, sweeping, vacuuming, and going up and down steps. Many small things add up to a lot, so someone doesn’t have to do hour-long, hard workouts to get the benefits of easy things like walking.
