Finding Balance in a Dysfunctional Household

In this animation, we feature all members of the Harold Heart household, in a story which aims to raise awareness of the interconnectivity of conditions that affect the heart, kidney and metabolic systems.

The heart, kidney and metabolic systems are interconnected and share many of the same risk factors.¹ Dysfunction in one system may contribute to dysfunction of the others, resulting in progression of interconnected disease.^2,3 Conditions of these systems affect more than one billion people worldwide.⁴

Talk to your healthcare professional to find out more about how these conditions are linked.

¹Sarafidis P, Ferro CJ, Morales E, et al. SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists for nephroprotection and cardioprotection in patients with diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. A consensus statement by the EURECA-m and the DIABESITY working groups of the ERA-EDTA. Available online at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30753708/. Last accessed December 2020. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2019;34:208.
²Thomas G, Sehgal AR, Kashyap SR, et al. Metabolic syndrome and kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011;6(10):2364–73.
³García-Donaire JA, Ruilope LM. Cardiovascular and Renal Links along the Cardiorenal Continuum. Int J Nephrol. 2011;2011:975782.
⁴GBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016;388(10053):1459–544.

Learn about the connection between between the heart, kidney and metabolic systems here: