Cardiometabolic medicine in China: Burden, challenges, and strategic priorities

The development of cardiometabolic medicine (CMM) reflects a shift in cardiovascular disease (CVD) management from organ-based care toward greater cross-system integration. CMM integrates cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, and public health domains to address the bidirectional interplay between metabolic dysfunction and CVD. In this review, we trace the conceptual evolution from metabolic syndrome to cardiometabolic disease (CMD), synthesize evidence for the biological integration of cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease, individual cardiometabolic therapies, and emerging integrated care models, and discuss the epidemiological transition and implementation barriers in China, including service fragmentation, specialty silos, and limited patient engagement. Strategic priorities include a coordinated CMM framework, multidisciplinary care, standardized training, primary-tertiary care linkage, and digital implementation, together with measurable indicators for implementation and outcomes. China’s experience may offer relevant lessons for other Asian settings navigating similar transitions, suggesting that CMM may be viewed not simply as a new organizational construct, but as a potential realignment of chronic disease management toward integrated, patient-centered, and life-course cardiovascular health.