ADVERSITY experienced during adulthood may increase the likelihood of advanced cardiovascular kidney metabolic (CKM) syndrome, according to a study of more than 5,600 adults.
Researchers analysed data from 5,601 participants in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study to investigate whether adverse adulthood experiences were associated with advanced CKM syndrome, defined as Stage 3 or Stage 4 disease.
Adverse adulthood experiences were assessed using five indicators: death of a child, lifetime discrimination, prolonged bed confinement, extended hospitalisation, and leaving employment because of health conditions.
Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The prevalence of advanced CKM syndrome was 34.87%.
After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, participants with high levels of adverse adulthood experiences had significantly greater odds of advanced CKM syndrome compared with those reporting low adversity.
When adverse adulthood experiences were analysed as a continuous measure, each additional adverse event was associated with a 30% increase in the odds of advanced CKM syndrome.
The study also found an independent association between depressive symptoms and advanced CKM syndrome.
Individuals with high levels of adverse adulthood experiences were more likely to report depressive symptoms than those with low adversity levels.
Exploratory analyses suggested depressive symptoms may contribute to the relationship between adverse adulthood experiences and advanced CKM syndrome.
The authors noted that depressive symptoms demonstrated a potential cross sectional association linking adversity exposure with more advanced disease stages.
The strongest association was observed among participants who had both depressive symptoms and higher levels of adverse adulthood experiences.
Compared with individuals who had low adversity and no depressive symptoms, those with both factors had markedly higher odds of advanced CKM syndrome.
Longitudinal analyses further showed that adverse adulthood experiences were associated with CKM stage progression between 2011 and 2015.
High adversity was linked to more than double the odds of progression to advanced CKM syndrome.
The researchers concluded that adverse adulthood experiences were associated with both advanced CKM syndrome and disease progression, while depressive symptoms may represent an important factor influencing this relationship.
They suggested that life course strategies addressing adversity and depression could help reduce the burden of advanced CKM syndrome.
Reference
Hong K et al. Association of adverse adulthood experiences with cardiovascular kidney metabolic syndrome. Sci Rep. 2026;DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-70185-2.
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