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What is CKM Disease?

Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) disease is a new way of understanding how heart health, kidney health, and metabolic conditions—like diabetes and obesity—are all deeply connected. In the past, these were often treated as separate issues. But research now shows that these conditions usually develop together, affect each other, and greatly increase your risk of serious health events like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

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A New, Unified Approach to Your Health

At our clinic, we are now grouping these related conditions under one umbrella—CKM health—so we can take a more complete, connected approach to your care. Instead of treating these problems in isolation, we focus on how they interact and what we can do together to manage them early and prevent more serious disease.

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What Is a CKM Visit?

To support this approach, we’re introducing a new type of appointment called a CKM Visit. This is a special visit where we focus entirely on your cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health. We’ll look at your current health status, identify your stage of CKM disease, and work with you to create a plan that helps you stay well—or avoid progressing to more advanced stages. CKM Visits are designed to help you:

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• Understand your overall CKM health status

• Monitor changes over time

• Get personalized recommendations for diet, lifestyle, and medications

• Catch warning signs early and take action to prevent complications

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Your CKM Report Card

At each CKM Visit, you’ll receive a CKM Report Card. This is a personalized summary of your current CKM health that includes:

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• Key bloodwork trends (like cholesterol, A1C, kidney function, etc.)

• A summary of what was discussed in the visit

• Any new or ongoing medications

• Recommended tests or bloodwork to follow up on

• Clear next steps for managing your CKM health

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The goal is to give you a clear, easy-to-understand snapshot of where you are—and what we’re doing together to keep you well.

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The 5 Stages of CKM

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To help with early identification and prevention, experts have developed a CKM Staging System. This system breaks down the disease into five stages (0–4), based on a person's risk and the presence of related conditions. Starting at Stage 0 (low risk) and progressing to Stage 4 (advanced disease), the stages allow healthcare providers and patients to work together on treatment and prevention at every level. Click on each stage to learn more!

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