Nearly 90 Percent of Americans Have Silent Heart Disease Risk Factors

A Hidden Health Crisis

Nearly nine out of 10 Americans are walking around with a potentially deadly health condition they've never heard of. The American Heart Association revealed that close to 90% of U.S. adults have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome , yet almost the same proportion had never heard of it .

A survey conducted by The Harris Poll among about 4,000 adults revealed that public understanding of this condition is alarmingly low despite its enormous prevalence . CKM syndrome involves a chain reaction inside the body that links a person to heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity .

What makes this particularly concerning is that over 80% of young and middle-aged adults are already showing early warning signs of the disease . "These numbers should ring alarm bells, particularly among young adults, because that's a snapshot into our future," said Dr. Sadiya S. Khan from Northwestern University .

The Dangerous Domino Effect

The American Heart Association recently defined CKM syndrome as "a health disorder due to connections among heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity leading to poor health outcomes," wanting people to understand that the conditions are closely connected . They can worsen each other and lead to serious outcomes, such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms .

CKM syndrome affects the complex system that fuels the body: The heart pumps blood throughout the body, the metabolic system burns blood sugar for energy, waste from blood sugar metabolism dumps back into the blood, the kidneys filter that waste and balance fluids which helps with blood pressure, and blood pressure affects how the heart pumps blood. "It's a full circle," according to health experts .

The risk factors doctors say to look out for are high blood pressure, high triglycerides, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and high blood sugar . The syndrome often develops silently for years before showing severe symptoms , making early detection crucial.

A New Framework for Understanding

The AHA framework divides CKM Syndrome into five stages: Stage 0 has no current risk, Stage 1 shows increased risk with lifestyle factors like obesity, Stage 2 presents early disease with metabolic risk factors, Stage 3 indicates established disease like diabetes or kidney dysfunction, and Stage 4 represents advanced disease with coexisting conditions .

Among 34,809 participants in recent research, the prevalence of CKM stages 0 to 4 was 13.2%, 20.8%, 53.1%, 5.0%, and 7.8% respectively, with higher stages showing dramatically increased risks of death - those with stage 4 had over 10 times higher cardiovascular mortality risk .

Men and Black adults are more likely to have advanced CKM syndrome than others , highlighting important health disparities that need attention.

Hope Through Action

The good news is that for most people, CKM syndrome is reversible with medication and changes to their lifestyle like eating healthier and getting more exercise . Lifestyle changes and treatments can help improve each condition individually and CKM syndrome as a whole .

"Screening for kidney and metabolic disease will help us start protective therapies earlier to most effectively prevent heart disease and best manage existing heart disease," said Dr. Chiadi E. Ndumele from Johns Hopkins University. "We now have several therapies that prevent both worsening kidney disease and heart disease" .

The AHA plans to issue its first-ever guidelines on CKM syndrome in early 2026 , which could transform how doctors approach these interconnected health conditions. Rather than treating each problem separately, this new understanding encourages comprehensive care that addresses the whole system - potentially saving millions of lives through earlier intervention and better coordinated treatment.