SAND DIEGO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Health officials are redefining heart disease, announcing the development of cardio-renal-metabolic syndrome (CKM). One in three people is at risk of developing the disease. This is not a new disease, but a new way of thinking about how existing conditions interact with each other and how they should be treated.

“This is an important step in the development of heart failure,” said J. Thomas Heywood, M.D., an advanced heart failure specialist at Scripps Clinic. It was a bit unfortunate that it happened. ”

Dr. Heywood observes hearts all day long, but he never thought he would get to look at his own heart in detail. He says, “I have high blood pressure. Yes, my weight could be better. I don’t have cardiovascular disease, but I have some of the early parts of this disease.” Perhaps 100 million people in the United States have some degree of cardiovascular disease.”

He talks about cardiorenal metabolic syndrome (CKM). This is a combination of kidney disease, metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

“This is actually a medical emergency, and we treat these things together rather than treating them separately,” Dr. Heywood says.

This is a new way of thinking about the domino effect in which a single health problem can affect the entire body.

Dr. Heywood explains: “Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney problems all compound and worsen. They’re like a dysfunctional family, and when they all come together, things get even worse, and the patient’s life expectancy is drastically shortened. .”

CKM syndrome ranges from stage 0 or no risk factors to stage 4 with cardiovascular disease and renal failure. Dr. Heywood believes that naming her CKM syndrome is as much for the doctor as it is for the patient.

“I think this is a call to action for all of us to look at patients more holistically and address more issues,” Dr. Heywood says.

And we hope that by working together, patients can be diagnosed early and receive life-saving treatment.

Dr. Heywood believes this is just the beginning of CKM and that there will soon be doctors specializing in this syndrome.

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