Cardiovascular kidney metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a health disorder due to connections among heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, leading to poor health outcomes. CKM syndrome increases the risk of development and progression of cardiovascular disease and includes both those at risk of and those with existing cardiovascular disease. Management efforts in the previous decades have largely focused on traditional risk factors like hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking, and genetic predispositions; yet, incomplete understanding exists in the role of environmental and community-level risk factors (e.g. green space, built environment, air pollution, and noise pollution) for the development of CKM syndrome. Environmental and community-level factors may be important but underappreciated risk factors contributing to the development and severity of CKM syndrome.
The objective of this project is to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations among environmental and community-level risk factors, and the development and severity of CKM syndrome. Our central hypothesis is that patients living in neighborhoods and communities with more environmental adversities, including pollution, toxic sites, high traffic and few parks, had higher rates and severity of CKM syndrome. The rationale for this research is to apply observational data to provide insights into the role of environmental and community-level risk among patients affected by CKM syndrome. Environmental and community-level contributors to CKM syndrome represent an enormous opportunity to alter disease course by reducing these modifiable risk factors. The findings from this project are important for identifying the environmental risk variations and evidence gap in CKM syndrome care which will provide as a baseline to monitor change and identifying prioritization to optimize management.