Session Highlights
In this WHF Heart Café conversation, moderator Larry Sperling (Emory) hosts Andrés Rosende (PAHO/HEARTS in the Americas), Tazeen Jafar (Duke–NUS/Duke), and Naveed Sattar (University of Glasgow) to unpack integrated care across Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) disease. The panel explores the interconnectedness of cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic conditions; the rising burden from obesity and diabetes; scalable primary-care solutions like HEARTS clinical pathways; team-based and community models; and how digital health/AI, prevention policy (food environment), and climate risks can be addressed to make care more comprehensive, equitable, and effective.
Key takeaways
- CKM is one system: Cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases share pathophysiology and risks; siloed guidelines miss multimorbidity and real-world needs.
- Epidemiology is shifting: Obesity/diabetes are accelerating CKM burden at younger ages; social determinants and ultra-processed food environments amplify risk.
- From guidelines to pathways: HEARTS-style integrated clinical pathways (simple ≠ simplistic) help primary care deliver consistent BP, lipids, diabetes, vaccination, and CKD care.
- Team-based, community care works: Task-sharing with nurses and community health workers, kiosks, and telehealth builds access and trust in LMICs and remote settings.
- AI as co-pilot: Use AI decision support to personalize therapy and close gaps—always with human oversight and local adaptation.
- Climate & infections matter: Heat stress, pollution, toxins, and infectious-disease links raise CKM risk; include vaccination and resilience planning in pathways.
- Best buy = prevention & policy: Advocate for healthier food environments, activity-friendly cities, and early-life prevention alongside scalable primary-care protocols.
Who should watch?
Cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, GPs, nurses, pharmacists, public-health leaders, payers, digital-health teams, environmental-health experts, and community advocates building integrated CKM care, HEARTS-aligned primary care, and prevention policy.
CKM Session – FAQ
- What is CKM and why integrate care?
- CKM (Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic) reflects shared risks (obesity, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation). Integrated pathways manage multimorbidity better than single-disease silos.
- How does HEARTS in the Americas improve outcomes?
- By standardizing primary-care clinical pathways (BP, lipids, diabetes, CKD, vaccines), enabling team-based task-sharing, and simplifying protocols for scale-up and equity.
- Is AI the answer for CKM care?
- AI is a useful co-pilot for risk stratification and therapy choice, but success requires human intelligence, local workflows, training, and community trust.
- How do climate and environment affect CKM?
- Heat, pollution, flooding, and toxins increase AKI/CKD and CV risk. Build climate-resilient care (cooling, water, supply chains), vaccination, and clean-air advocacy into CKM plans.