A cluster of health issues can go unnoticed for years and may have more of an effect on heart disease than previously understood. Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome — or CKM — is a medical disorder linking heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity. Nearly 90% of adults in the United States have at least one CKM risk factor such as obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar. The chair of the writing committee for the new CKM guidelines explains why the disease is often symptomless until serious damage has occurred, why maintaining kidney health is important yet overlooked and how lifestyle changes can help reverse CKM so patients live longer and better lives.
Guest: Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, director of obesity and cardiometabolic research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and chair, clinical guideline on CKM Syndrome from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology
Liver longer
The liver is essential in regulating metabolism and can offer clues when something is wrong with a patient’s metabolic health. But in many cases, the liver accumulates damage before critical symptoms like jaundice and discolored urine arise. A liver specialist explains why fatty liver disease has become so common in Americans and how the condition connects to heart and metabolic disease. She also separates the real solutions that promote liver health from the booming detox and cleanse business.
Guest: Dr. Supriya Joshi, gastroenterologist, hepatologist and author of Healthy Liver Hacks