Doctors warn over deadly disease that 281 million Americans are living with without realising

Doctors have issued a stark warning over a little-known disease that 90 percent of the US population is said to be living with without even knowing.

New research from the American Heart Association (AHA) has shockingly revealed that around nine in 10 US adults have never heard of the condition - something they're hoping to change.

We're talking about cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM for short.

It's a complex disorder where health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, metabolic disorders (like type 2 diabetes), and obesity are interconnected and worsen each other.

As per Cleveland Clinic, these four connected conditions share risk factors and therefore can lead to one another, and people often have more than one of these diseases at a time.

It was only formally defined by the AHA in 2023.

The new research has outlined that nearly 90 percent of American adults have at least one risk factor for the syndrome - high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high blood glucose (sugar), excess weight or reduced kidney function.

Doctors have issued a warning over a condition that most people won't know they have (Getty Stock Image)

Why is cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome so dangerous?

This condition is dangerous because the combination of these risk factors increases the risk for heart attack, stroke and heart failure more than any one of them alone, the AHA warns.

Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association’s chief medical officer for prevention, said: "We want people to know that it’s really common to have heart, kidney and metabolic risk factors at the same time.

"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."

He added: "The heart, kidney and metabolic systems are connected and, as such, should be treated in a coordinated way. These results reveal the need to emphasize those connections and help patients understand the importance of collaborative care."

The good news is, for most people, the syndrome is reversible following changes to your eating pattern, physical activity and appropriate treatment.

How do doctors diagnose cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome?

To diagnose CKM syndrome, doctors will test the different risk factors to determine your stage from 0 to 4.

Stage 0 means no risk factors, Stage 1 means you have excess body fat, Stage 2 means you have a condition such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease, Stage 3 means you have heart disease without symptoms or a high risk of it, and finally Stage 4 means you have heart disease with symptoms, extra body fat and risk factors for diabetes or other metabolic conditions. Stage 4 could also include kidney disease.

The condition is cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome (Getty Stock Image)

What are the symptoms of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome?

The symptoms of CKM syndrome can include any of the issues you get with the four conditions that make up cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, such as:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Syncope (passing out)
• Swelling in your legs, feet, hands or ankles
• Pain in your legs while walking
• Tiredness
• Loss of appetite or an increase in appetite
• The need to pee more often
• Dry skin
• Sleep apnea
• Gout