13 avril 2023
Among the 3.9 million French people treated for diabetes, 10% have type 1. The number of people living with this disease continues to increase. It requires sometimes tedious daily management, especially for young adults who, at the end of adolescence, will have to learn independently to live with it. Positive point, today many digital tools are totally dedicated to them to support them.
Since the early 2000s, the number of new cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents has been growing steadily, around 3% to 4% per year. With an increasingly early onset, particularly in children under 5! ” This pathology leads to the destruction of the cells present in the pancreas and which produce a hormone essential for survival: insulin. “, explains Pr Jean-Pierre Riveline endocrinologist-diabetologist at the Lariboisière hospital (Paris). ” In effect, patients need lifelong treatment, which requires insulin injections ».
Therapeutic compliance is a valuable ally, insofar as, continues the doctor, “andn the case of a lack of insulin, blood sugar can be very high and lead to emergency hospitalization. Or on the contrary go down too low, with a risk of coma”. In the longer term, when the management is not optimal and/or the treatment is not well followed, “type 1 diabetes is very silently accompanied by complications throughout the body: the eyes, the kidneys , legs… ».
Indispensable observance
Professor Riveline particularly points to the transition period between adolescence and adulthood, during which ” the patient will gain autonomy “. Including in the administration of his treatment…” Often, this passage is accompanied by a loss of follow-up”, he notes. High-level sportswoman, Alizée Agier* explains “having transcribed the rigor of the high-level in the management of her diabetes. It goes through reminders, through technology so you don’t forget to take your treatment ».
Faced with this disease that is both “complex” – according to Prof. Riveline – and “constraining”, according to Alizée Agier, the integration of digital solutions to support patients is of paramount importance. “The contribution of digital tools is a major advance in the management of type 1 diabetes”, argues Professor Riveline. ” Connectivity and digitalization help to reduce the patient’s mental load and allow him to break his isolation “. A good point for the improvement of his quality of life, as a whole.
Less mental load
With egalso benefits for the doctor: “ we would tend to think that technologies tend to dehumanize the relationship with the patient,” he continues. “MBut on the contrary, they also help us to know him better”. Alizée Agier confirms this: “the digital management of data in terms of blood sugar levels allows me to be more free. I can rely on technology. It takes my load off mentaTHE “. What thus, apprehend its sporting deadlines with more serenity.
Tools dedicated to patients
The French laboratory Sanofi offers a wide range of digital solutions for patients living with type 1 diabetes to make their daily life easier. Like Podcast Dialog’: a series of exchange podcasts between a patient with diabetes and an expert. Or Barnabé®, an application that aims to support children and their parents in their daily lives thanks to a little teddy bear with which they can identify.
They can also count on Diab’Voyage®, an application that helps them manage their trip before, during and following their stay. As for the app, Glucocompteur, it allows you to learn how to balance your diet.
Sanofi also organized its 1st Diabetes Masterclass in 2022, bringing together doctors, patients and influencers to discuss the benefits of sport and digital health.
Sanofi also collaborates with companies developing remote monitoring platforms:
- Glooko, one of the world leaders in connected care solutions, offers Glooko XT®, formerly Diabnext, a diabetes management platform that can be used in consultation or remotely by healthcare professionals and patients. It enables the sharing and visualization of patient data (glycemia, insulin, carbohydrates, exercise) from compatible medical devices and physical activity tracking applications. Glooko XT facilitates treatment monitoring by healthcare teams, through data analysis and remote monitoring of patients with diabetes.
- myDiabby Healthcare, a French leader in medical telemonitoring of diabetes. myDiabby Healthcare is a medical device that consists of an application, which allows patients to share their blood glucose, insulin and other diabetes-related data with their medical team on a dedicated portal accessible by line.
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Source : Interview with Jean-Pierre Riveline endocrinologist-diabetologist at Lariboisière Hospital (Paris)
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Written by : Emmanuel Ducreuzet – Edited by: Vincent Roche
