Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
February 18, 2026
Millions Unaware of Heart Risks Beyond the Heart: AHA Warns
TLDR
- Regular screening for CKM syndrome provides a strategic advantage by enabling early detection of interconnected heart, kidney, and metabolic risks, allowing proactive health management.
- CKM syndrome screening involves tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, waist circumference, and kidney function, with results analyzed using the PREVENT calculator to assess cardiovascular disease risk.
- Widespread screening for CKM syndrome can prevent 80% of heart attacks and strokes, creating healthier communities by addressing undiagnosed diabetes and kidney disease that affect millions.
- The American Heart Association reveals that 90% of adults with chronic kidney disease are unaware, highlighting how interconnected heart, kidney, and metabolic health often go undetected.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome represents a silent epidemic affecting millions who remain undiagnosed and unaware of their interconnected health risks. With about half of U.S. adults having high blood pressure, one-third with high cholesterol, over half with prediabetes or diabetes, and one in seven with kidney disease, this issue touches nearly every family. The connection between these conditions means that undiagnosed diabetes or kidney disease significantly increases heart attack and stroke risk, yet most people don't recognize these links. Early screening and intervention could prevent up to 80% of cardiovascular events, making this awareness crucial for public health. The AHA's initiative to improve diagnosis rates and interdisciplinary care could transform how healthcare approaches these interconnected conditions, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives through earlier detection and coordinated treatment strategies.
Summary
The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a critical warning about the interconnected nature of heart, kidney, and metabolic health, revealing that millions of Americans are unaware of their risks for cardiovascular disease that originate outside the heart. According to the Association's 2026 statistics update, nearly one-quarter of U.S. adults with diabetes don't know they have it, while Centers for Disease Control data shows that up to 90% of adults with chronic kidney disease remain undiagnosed. This lack of awareness is particularly dangerous because these conditions are closely linked through cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM syndrome), where having one condition significantly increases the risk of developing the others.
The Association's survey conducted last fall indicates that most people don't realize how their heart, kidney, and metabolic health are connected, creating a dangerous knowledge gap. Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, volunteer president of the AHA, emphasizes that understanding these connections is crucial for prevention, as approximately 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable. The organization's Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health Initiative, supported by founding sponsors Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim along with supporting sponsors Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Bayer and champion sponsor DaVita, aims to address this crisis by enrolling 150 healthcare sites across 15 U.S. regions to improve interdisciplinary care for CKM syndrome, potentially impacting over a quarter-million patients.
Regular screening represents the most effective defense against CKM syndrome, with the AHA recommending comprehensive testing that includes blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol panels, blood glucose measurements, body weight and size assessments, and kidney function tests using both uACR urine tests and eGFR blood tests. Healthcare professionals can use the PREVENT online calculator to estimate individual cardiovascular disease risk over the next 10 or 30 years. The Association stresses that CKM syndrome is both preventable and treatable through healthy habits outlined in Life's Essential 8 and evidence-based treatments that can improve multiple health conditions simultaneously, offering hope for reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by NewMediaWire. Read the original source here, Millions Unaware of Heart Risks Beyond the Heart: AHA Warns
