Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Policy Forum: Addressing the Disproportionate Impact of CKM Conditions on Women’s Wellness

Cardiovascular‑kidney‑metabolic (CKM) conditions—including cardiovascular disease, heart failure, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity—are biologically interconnected and propelled by shared risk factors, yet health systems too often treat them in silos, missing opportunities for earlier risk identification, accurate diagnosis, and timely intervention. In 2025, alongside the 78th World Health Assembly, the CKM Forum was convened to address a critical gap: many people are still diagnosed only after life‑altering complications occur, underscoring the need to strengthen prevention and early screening, improve access to treatment, and better engage patients as partners in care. Building on this momentum, the 2026 forum introduces a dedicated focus on women’s wellness, reflecting the disproportionate impact of CKM conditions on women and the need for more tailored approaches to prevention, screening, and early intervention.

Convened by the Global Alliance for Patient Access (GAfPA), Mended Hearts Europe (MHE), the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health (GLoPAKH), the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health (PACH), and the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS)—joining with the Partnership for Women’s Wellness (PWW)—the forum will:

  • Elevate awareness of CKM diseases as interconnected conditions and how risk factors and determinants affect women differently.
  • Highlight lived experience, illustrating the real‑world challenges created by fragmented care, delayed diagnosis, and inconsistent screening.
  • Convene stakeholders to advance integrated, equitable CKM prevention and care strategies grounded in women’s wellness.