ISLAMABAD, Oct. 11 (ONLINE): A newly named condition gives people a way to refer to being affected by obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease at the same time. <\/p>\n
Called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM, the new term is intended as a diagnosis that signals people are at high risk of dying from heart disease, the American Heart Association announced Monday. The detailed recommendation was published in the journal Circulation.
\nOne-third of all U.S. adults have at least three risk factors for heart disease, metabolic disorders like diabetes, or kidney disease. The new diagnosis of CKM would be based on combined risk factors like problems with weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and kidney function.<\/p>\n
How Heart Disease Affects Your Body<\/p>\n
What Is It?
\nFrom clogged arteries to infections, heart disease covers a lot of ground. It\u2019s not just one thing, but a group of conditions that affect your heart and body in different ways. It can lead to problems like heart attacks and strokes, and it\u2019s the most common cause of death for both men and women in the United States.<\/p>\n
How Your Heart Works
\nYour heart has four chambers — two up top called atria, and two below called ventricles. Oxygen-rich blood from your lungs flows to the left atrium, then to the left ventricle, which pumps it out to your body. Blood returns to the right atrium, then the right ventricle, which sends it back to your lungs for oxygen. Four valves act like one-way doors to guide the blood through your heart. And round it goes — unless you have heart disease.<\/p>\n
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
\nAlso called coronary artery disease, CHD is the most common type of heart disease in the U.S. When you have it, a waxy substance called plaque builds up in your heart\u2019s arteries. You won\u2019t know it\u2019s there at first, but over time, it narrows your arteries, like a clog in a pipe. That limits the blood flow to your heart muscle.<\/p>\n
Effects of CHD
\nWith less blood flow, your heart doesn\u2019t get the oxygen it needs, and that can cause chest pain, called angina, especially when you exercise or do heavy labor. It also can affect how well your heart pumps and make the rest of your body short on oxygen, too. Without it, your cells won\u2019t work as well as they should, and you may be short of breath or feel more tired than usual. If plaque breaks off and totally blocks an artery, you have a heart attack.<\/p>\n
CHD in Women vs. Men
\nCHD can affect women and men differently. Men are more likely to have intense chest pain. Women may get tightness or pressure in the chest, but they also might just feel uncomfortable, like when a meal doesn\u2019t sit right. They\u2019re more likely to be very tired often and have shortness of breath and nausea. These differences may be because women tend to get blockages in the heart\u2019s smaller arteries.<\/p>\n
Heart Valve Disease
\nThe valves that guide your blood through your heart are flaps that open and close with each heartbeat. This is what makes the lub-DUB sound of your heart. Three different problems can affect your heart valves:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tAtresia: There\u2019s no opening in the valve, so blood can\u2019t flow.
\n\u2022\tBackflow: The valve lets blood go backward instead of forward.
\n\u2022\tStenosis: The flaps get thick or stiff, or join together, and less blood gets through.<\/p>\n
Effects of Heart Valve Disease
\nSome people have no signs for years, while others get them all of a sudden. Either way, they often get worse. The main symptom is a murmur — a whooshing or swishing sound between heartbeats. Valve problems can make your heart work harder and cause blood flow problems, so you may:
\n\u2022\tBe more tired than usual
\n\u2022\tHave shortness of breath
\n\u2022\tHave swelling in your legs, feet, ankles, or belly (if your body can\u2019t get blood back to your heart like it should)<\/p>\n
Arrhythmia
\nYou may have had the feeling where your heart flutters or skips a beat. That\u2019s caused by a change in your heart\u2019s rhythm — called arrhythmia — and it\u2019s usually harmless. Your heartbeat is controlled by short bursts of electricity, and a minor change in those bursts typically isn\u2019t a problem. But more serious arrhythmia can keep your heart from doing its job the way it should and cause serious problems.<\/p>\n
When Your Heart Loses Its Rhythm
\nIf those electrical bursts really get knocked off course, you feel it — your heart may start to race or beat slower than normal. That means your organs and muscles may not get enough oxygen — you could have chest pain and feel lightheaded, and you might even faint. If the rhythm gets totally out of whack, your heart gets like gelatin: It quivers and can\u2019t pump at all. This is called fibrillation, and it can be life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Cardiomyopathy
\nThis is a group of diseases that make your heart muscle thick, stiff, or larger than usual. Over time, your heart can get weaker, and it\u2019s harder for it to pump blood and keep its regular rhythm. The most common type is called dilated cardiomyopathy, and it happens in the left ventricle. As it gets worse, the ventricle can\u2019t pump very well, and blood starts to collect in your heart.<\/p>\n
Effects of Cardiomyopathy
\nAs heart muscle thickens, it can limit blood flow, so you end up short on oxygen. That can cause problems like dizziness, fainting, and shortness of breath. Your heart\u2019s rhythm also might get thrown off, and your heart might flutter, pound, or start racing. Your kidneys may react to lower amounts of blood by holding on to more water and salt than usual, and that can lead to swelling in your legs, ankles, feet, and organs.<\/p>\n
Heart Infections
\nAs in other parts of your body, germs like bacteria or viruses can cause an infection in your heart, and this is considered a type of heart disease. Sometimes, infections come on slowly; other times, quickly. Some go away on their own, while others can be life-threatening if they\u2019re not treated.<\/p>\n
Heart Infection Symptoms
\nThese depend on where the infection is. If it\u2019s in the sac around your heart, you may have swelling that causes chest pain. If you have a replacement heart valve and it gets infected, germs can build up around the area and break off, causing problems with other organs in your body. You may notice some symptoms you get with other kinds of infections and feel the effects of strain on your heart, like:
\n\u2022\tChanges in heart rhythm
\n\u2022\tFever
\n\u2022\tShortness of breath
\n\u2022\tTiredness<\/p>\n
Congenital Heart Defects
\nThese are heart defects you\u2019re born with, and they affect how blood flows through your heart. They happen when the walls, valves, or blood vessels don\u2019t develop the right way before you\u2019re born. Some problems, like a hole in a heart chamber, have easy fixes or don\u2019t need treatment at all. Others, like a missing valve, may need long-term care.<\/p>\n
How Heart Defects Affect Your Body
\nThey don\u2019t usually cause pain, but without regular blood flow, your body doesn\u2019t get the oxygen it needs. That may lead to bluish skin, shortness of breath, and feeling tired. Defects often make your heart work harder, which can cause heart failure — when your heart\u2019s too weak to pump blood the way it should. That can cause problems like arrhythmia, trouble breathing, and fluid in your lungs.<\/p>\n
Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh , MD on August 28, 2023
\nHere are the four stages of CKM syndrome:
\n\u2022\tStage 0 has no risk factors, and people at this stage should be screened every 3 to 5 years to check their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels. Maintaining a healthy weight is a priority for people in stage 0.
\n\u2022\tStage 1 includes people who have risk factors that include body fat and weight problems or prediabetes. People in stage 1 should make healthy lifestyle changes and try to lose 5% of their body weight.
\n\u2022\tStage 2 includes people who have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and those who have kidney disease. The goal for people in stage 2 is to prevent to diseases of their heart and blood vessels or kidney failure. Medications targeting kidney function or those that help with blood sugar and weight loss, like Ozempic, could be considered in this stage.
\n\u2022\tStage 3 is considered early cardiovascular disease without symptoms and includes people with signs of disease in their arteries or problems with heart function. Further medication management may be needed at this stage.
\n\u2022\tStage 4 includes people who may have already had a stroke or heart attack, or have kidney failure or heart failure.
\nThe goal of providing the stages is to give a framework for people to work toward \u201cCKM syndrome regression,\u201d which means moving to a lower stage. That can include improving glucose control, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, weight, kidney function, and heart dysfunction.<\/p>\n
The new term \u201caddresses the connections among these conditions with a particular focus on identifying people at early stages of CKM syndrome,\u201d Chiadi E. Ndumele, MD, PhD, lead author of the advisory and an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement. \u201cScreening for kidney and metabolic disease will help us start protective therapies earlier to most effectively prevent heart disease and best manage existing heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Oct. 11 (ONLINE): A newly named condition gives people a way to refer to being affected by obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease at the same time. Called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM, the new term is intended as a diagnosis that signals people […]<\/p>\n
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