Integrated strategy needed to address the burden of cardio-kidney metabolic syndrome
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The first Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Health National Conclave 2026, which concluded at Thiruvalla on Sunday has called for an integrated strategy for the prevention and management of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, the burden of which has been rising steadily in Keralam.
The programme was conducted in partnership with the World NCD Federation, Directorate of Health Services, Keralam, National Health Mission and Kerala Nephrology Association.
CKM syndrome is defined as “a health disorder attributable to connections among obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.”
It was in 2023 that the American Heart Association (AHA) reconceptualised metabolic syndrome as a one of the stages of a larger cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, providing for a better understanding of the interconnected roles of cardiac, renal and metabolic factors.
The discussions emphasised the need to move beyond disease-specific management towards an integrated approach encompassing primordial and primary prevention, early risk identification, lifestyle modification, nutrition, physical activity and community engagement.
Delivering the keynote address, J. S. Thakur, president of the World NCD Federation and Professor and Head of the School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, deliberated on the challenges involved in bringing cardio-kidney-metabolic health into the mainstream strategies for NCD prevention.
The State Mission Director, Aarogya Keralam, Renu Raj; S. S. Lal Chairman, Kerala State Committee for Epidemic Control also spoke on policy interventions needed to bring the focus on the prevention of CKM syndrome.
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