Latest podcast episode explores CF diabetes

I have CF but don’t have CF diabetes so this was a really eye-opening conversation for me. More than four in 10 people with CF are receiving treatment for CF diabetes, so it is important to be informed and understand what it is and why it is different to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 

CF diabetes is a distinct form of diabetes unique to people with CF because the underlying cause is different. It is because CF can cause a build-up of sticky mucus and inflammation in the pancreas that can prevent the pancreas from producing insulin properly. 

Joseph so eloquently explains what living with CF diabetes day to day is like, especially for a young person. I asked Joseph about the one thing he wishes more people knew about CF diabetes and he said how the public don't often realise CF diabetes even exists. He wants to see more awareness out there. 

Professor Vicky Salem has been working on how to grow new insulin-producing cells from stem cells in the lab and how to transplant these news cells into people with type 1 diabetes. The aim of these transplants would be to remove the need for insulin therapy. Prof Salem tells us all about her research and how new types of treatment could work and become available for people with CF.  

As with every podcast episode, we are sharing that cystic fibrosis is more than just a lung disease and that it affects everyone who lives with CF differently every single day.