A new clinical practice guideline, the “2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome,” is set to replace and expand upon earlier guidance. This comprehensive document aims to address the growing clinical and public health challenges posed by cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a condition characterized by the interconnectedness of metabolic risk factors, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Unified Framework for Complex Conditions
The guideline is intended for a broad audience of clinicians, including cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, and primary care physicians. Its primary objective is to provide a unified, evidence-based framework for managing patients with CKM syndrome. This approach recognizes the complex interrelationships among obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Writing Committee Chair Chiadi E. Ndumele, MD, PhD, MHS, FAHA, and Vice Chair Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, FAHA, FACC, highlighted the guideline’s goal to offer a cohesive approach across different medical specialties. The document emphasizes earlier detection of risk factors, including the use of PREVENT equations, and a CKM staging system that considers the entire lifespan. It also promotes the routine assessment of both metabolic and kidney health.
Comprehensive Evidence Review
To inform the guideline, a thorough literature search was conducted from October 29, 2024, to April 14, 2025. This search focused on identifying clinical studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published since 2015. The research encompassed evidence related to human subjects and was sourced from major databases such as MEDLINE (through PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, among others.
The guideline is designed to be a living document, continuously updated to reflect the latest knowledge in the field of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome. It replaces and builds upon the foundation laid by the “2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.”
Steve Lopez is the Editorial Page Editor for News Raise. He covers Health. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards for his reporting and column writing at seven newspapers and four news magazines.
