Primary Submission Category: Biomarkers or biological pathways
Early Midlife Population Trends in Stress and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Athena Owirodu,
Presenting Author: Athena Owirodu*
Cardiovascular disease is often accompanied by the onset of kidney and metabolic illnesses (Ndumele et al. 2023; Aggarwal et al. 2024) The increasing coexistence of these illnesses as comorbidities is illustrated among the U.S. population health trends, with 25% of the population experiencing a condition in either one of the three domains (Aggarwal et al. 2024). In 2023, Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome was presented by the American Heart Association as a new disease construct rapidly progressing among the U.S. population. Furthermore, an unequal burden exists in CKM syndrome prevalence. People at high risk for developing CKM syndrome are individuals who are non-Hispanic Black or Asian, of low socioeconomic status, and/or have no high school degree (Aggarwal et al. 2024; Li et al. 2024). Stress, specifically chronic and perceived stress, may help explain the prevalent disparity in CKM syndrome population health. Stress can be defined as “perception of environmental demands surpassing the capacity of an individual to adapt to a given situation” (Vaccarino & Bremner 2024). This project focuses on understanding the association between stress and CKM outcomes to capture the implications of stressful life course events on CKM development. Using a mid-life sample aged 33-43 from Add Health (Wave V; N=5,381), preliminary research reveals that about less than five percent of respondents with valid biomarker measures fall under the most advanced stage of CKM syndrome (stage 4), best characterized as experiencing a cardiovascular event. Further analysis will involve (1) documenting prevalence rates within the Add Health sample, (2) establishing the focal relationship between different dimensions of stress and CKM syndrome, and (3) analyzing differences that persist once CKM syndrome patterns are stratified by race.