What are the stages of CKM syndrome?
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a newly recognized health framework that links obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and heart disease. Experts emphasize that these conditions are interconnected and should be treated as a systemic issue rather than in isolation.
Why it matters
Understanding CKM syndrome allows for earlier diagnosis and more effective, integrated treatment plans for millions of people suffering from these chronic conditions.
Hear this story Feeling unusually tired, changes in bathroom frequency, noticing swelling in your legs or feet, or becoming short of breath when climbing a flight of stairs may all seem like separate health concerns, but they aren't always.
Rather than existing in isolation, conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes , chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease often develop together, with each making the others more likely and more severe.
To better recognize such connections, doctors have recently introduced the term cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, which can take us "one step closer to understanding the root cause of all vascular disease ... to prevent multiple conditions," says Clyde Yancy, former president of the American Heart Association and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
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