Nearly 90% of American adults may already be somewhere on the spectrum of a newly formalized health condition that links heart disease, kidney function and metabolic health, according to guidance released this year by the American Heart Association and several partner medical organizations. Doctors say growing recognition of the connection is changing how they screen for and treat some of the country's leading causes of death.

A newly named, but long-suspected, connection

The condition, known as cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM syndrome, describes how dysfunction in the heart, kidneys and metabolic system are interconnected rather than separate, unrelated health issues. For years, doctors treated conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease largely in isolation. That's beginning to change, according to Dr. Andrew Pogozelski, a cardiologist with Allegheny Health Network, who said physicians increasingly recognize how tightly these systems are linked, even before serious symptoms appear.

The American Heart Association first introduced the concept of CKM syndrome roughly three years ago through a presidential advisory. This June, the AHA, the American College of Cardiology, the American Diabetes Association and the American Society of Nephrology jointly released the first-ever clinical practice guideline specifically addressing CKM syndrome, published simultaneously in the medical journals Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The guideline replaces and expands upon the AHA's 2013 guidance on managing overweight and obesity in adults, reflecting how significantly the medical understanding of these interconnected conditions has evolved.

Nearly universal risk, according to new data

According to the new guideline, nearly 90% of U.S. adults have at least one CKM syndrome risk........

© International Business Times