Science at theUM [S05-ep17]: Diabetes Is a Piece of Cake
This week on *A l’UM * Science, Eric Renard, head of the Endocrinology and Diabetes Department at the CHU, talks to us about the psychosocial benefits of automated insulin delivery systems. The report introduces us to Colibri, the world’s lightest extracorporeal circulatory support system. Finally, we take Elephant Trail with an episode of LumLu. A show that airs every Wednesday on Divergence.
Rosa is 60 years old. Three years ago, she was hospitalized due to complications from diabetes, which she had kept secret from everyone—and likely from herself as well. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, she developed severe kidney failure, and she learned that she would now have to undergo dialysis three times a week. In her apartment, her legendary neatness had given way to a messy, disorganized chaos—the combined result of a cataract and depression, both of which were well established.
Months, then years, went by, and despite her diagnosis, Rosa struggled to stick to her treatment and adopt new lifestyle habits. Soon, another blow struck: a wound! She was hospitalized again, and one of her toes was amputated. Facing the diabetes unit at the university hospital and the reality of the amputation came as a shock. Here, many patients have lost a foot, a calf, or sometimes even an entire leg. That, in fact, is the fate that befell Rosa a few months later. She is now at a rehabilitation center where she is learning to walk with her prosthesis.
This story is quite common—it’s the story of a disease that progresses slowly and leads you to believe that you’ll continue to live a normal life. Because that’s exactly what we all hope for when illness strikes: to live as normally as possible. Fortunately, treatments are advancing and continue to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes by simplifying the management of this chronic condition. The insulin pump was a revolution, just as today’s automated insulin delivery systems are, giving patients back a sense of carefree ease.
Eric Renard, head of the Endocrinology and Diabetes Department at Montpellier University Hospital, studied the psychosocial impacts of one of these automated insulin delivery systems compared to insulin pump therapy. An article published in the journal *Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism*.
In the second half of the program, we’re rebroadcasting a report on the world’s lightest extracorporeal circulatory support system, the aptly named Colibri, which is presented by Dr. Philippe Gaudard from the anesthesia and intensive care unit at Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital.
Finally, we’re taking you on a journey along the Elephant Trail with Simon Chamaillé, a researcher at CEFE. This is a LumLu, the audio version of LUM magazine.
At "UM : Science," here's the lineup—let's get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Report: Aline Périault
Director: Bruno Bertrand
Listen to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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