How do your kidneys impact your heart? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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CKM, or cardiovascular kidney metabolic syndrome, has just been identified by the American Heart Association as a health condition that needs to be recognized and managed using an integrated approach. Chiadi Ndumele, a Johns Hopkins cardiologist and chair of the heart association’s writing committee, says the kidneys have long been in the shadows.

Ndumele: Kidney disease is a pretty powerful but underappreciated and under addressed risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Most chronic kidney disease occurs as a result of metabolic risk factors, particularly things like diabetes and high blood pressure leading to chronic kidney disease. We now know that for a lot of how that risk for cardiovascular kidney metabolic syndrome and diabetes is mediated is through the development of chronic kidney disease so that chronic kidney disease is a key mediator for significant portion of heart disease.  :32

So expect your primary care doc to take such a comprehensive approach soon. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.