Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has long been recognized as a potent risk amplifier for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the compelling new study in this issue of AJKD by Shroff et al,1 leveraging nearly 2 decades of longitudinal data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), boldly expands our understanding of the systemic risks posed by declining kidney function. Most notably, their analysis introduces a redefined lens through which clinicians and researchers could evaluate the clinical burden of CKD: not just through the cardiovascular lens, but also through the dimension of chronic inflammation–related disease (ChrIRD).