Treatment of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia subpar among adults with CKM syndrome

Treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia among adults with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome remains low, according to a US study. Moreover, only a few of the treated individuals achieve blood pressure (BP) or glycaemic control.

A total of 6,384 adults with CKM stage ≥2 (mean age 44.2 years, 51.2 percent women) were analysed. Only about one in two adults with hypertension (51.3 percent) or hyperlipidaemia (48.8 percent) were receiving treatment. On the other hand, treatment rates for diabetes were high (83.4 percent).

Among treated participants, only 44.7 percent achieved BP control, 47.3 percent glycaemic control, and 68.2 percent cholesterol control. Hypertension and hyperlipidaemia treatment rates increased as risk increased, but BP and glycaemic control were lower among treated adults with higher 10-year cardiovascular disease risk.

Across all three conditions, the lowest treatment rates were consistently observed among adults aged 20‒44 years (hypertension: 27.6 percent; hyperlipidaemia: 19.7 percent; diabetes: 73.7 percent). Women were less likely to be treated for diabetes and hyperlipidaemia than men. Furthermore, Hispanic adults had the lowest treatment rates for hypertension and hyperlipidaemia among racial and ethnic subgroups.

“Gaps in treatment initiation were most pronounced among young adults, women, and Hispanic adults, and inadequate risk factor control was particularly evident among those with higher cardiovascular risk,” the investigators said. “These findings highlight substantial opportunities to improve cardiometabolic care in this high-risk population.”

This study used data from adults with CKM stage ≥2 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2015 through August 2023. Age- and sex-adjusted analyses were conducted to estimate treatment rates for hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes and rates of BP, glycaemic, and cholesterol control among treated individuals.