Around 90 Percent of Adults at Risk of New Condition but Most Haven’t Heard of It, Study Finds

A survey released by the American Heart Association found that most adults haven’t heard of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome.

A doctor and emergency room nurse care for a patient at Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2009. David McNew/Getty Images

Approximately 9 in 10 adults are at risk for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a condition that most have never heard of, according to a survey released in October by the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association (AHA) survey, which was published on Oct. 20, said that while nearly 90 percent of American adults have at least one risk factor for the syndrome, only 12 percent of people who were surveyed had heard about CKM syndrome, 72 percent said they are interested in learning more about the condition, and 79 percent concurred it is important to understand more about CKM health.

CKM syndrome is a disorder that is caused by connections between kidney disease, obesity, and heart disease, officials have previously said. It’s a newly named disorder, officials say.

Factors that could lead to CKM syndrome include high blood pressure, excess weight, reduced kidney function, unusual cholesterol levels, and high blood glucose, the association said, according to data published last year in the JAMA Network journal that was cited by AHA.

“The heart, kidney and metabolic systems are connected and, as such, should be treated in a coordinated way,” Eduardo Sanchez, a top American Heart Association medical officer, said in a statement. “These results reveal the need to emphasize those connections and help patients understand the importance of collaborative care.”

Sanchez said, however, that “it is reassuring that once the CKM connection was defined nearly three-quarters of those responding understood that it was important and wanted to learn more.”

A 2024 article citing research by Mass General Brigham, a Boston-based health system, also noted that the “health conditions were previously considered separate problems and are often managed separately.”

But the separate health conditions, it added, “can worsen each other and lead to serious outcomes, such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms.”

Meanwhile, the research published in JAMA found that adults aged 65 years and older are more likely to have the syndrome, 15 percent of all adults have advanced stages of the disease, nearly 80 percent of young adults between the ages of 20–44 years already have CKM syndrome risk factors, and men are more likely to have the syndrome than women.

CKM syndrome is different from metabolic syndrome, which refers to a collection of risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease that includes abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, low HDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides.

The AHA said it is planning to issue its first-ever guidelines on CKM syndrome early next year.

The survey was carried out in August 2025 among 4,007 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, it stated.

Reuters contributed to this report.