Handok and Medtronic Organize Lecture for Type 1 Diabetes Patients and Caregivers

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Handok and Medtronic Korea announced on the 2nd that they will hold a public lecture titled "Wise Blood Sugar Management for Our Children" for patients with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and destroy pancreatic beta (β) cells due to genetic factors, resulting in almost no insulin production. Unlike type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that usually occurs in adults over 40, type 1 diabetes occurs regardless of the patient's age or lifestyle. It is reported that in Korea, about 3 out of every 100,000 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with the disease.

Due to the nature of the disease, patients with type 1 diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels more than four times a day regularly and inject insulin according to their blood sugar levels to maintain an appropriate level. Compared to type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes requires insulin injections and poses a much higher risk, but it is relatively less recognized, and because the number of patients is small, opportunities to obtain high-quality information are limited.

Handok and Medtronic have prepared a public lecture opportunity so that patients with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers can resolve their questions about blood sugar management through specialists. The public lecture program consists of a specialist's lecture and Q&A session on blood sugar management (1 hour), and consultation related to Medtronic insulin pumps (1 hour). Lectures will be given by Professor Sejin Kim of the Department of Pediatrics at Dong-A University Hospital in Busan (February 11), Professor Yumi Kim of the Department of Pediatrics at Chungnam National University Hospital in Sejong (February 18), and Professor Jeonghwan Seo of the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at Severance Hospital in Sinchon (March 18). Applications and detailed program information can be found on the Handok Medtronic Mall website. The public lecture program is open to all patients with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers, and future schedules will be sequentially announced on the website.

This year's public lectures were planned based on the pilot public lectures held last year. In the first public lecture held by Medtronic in September last year on the theme of "Type 1 Diabetes Management and Insulin Pump Therapy," many opinions were confirmed that more focus should be placed on pediatric and adolescent diabetes, which accounts for a significant portion of type 1 diabetes patients. Also, while last year's lectures were limited to Seoul, this year they will be expanded nationwide and held in various regions such as Busan, Sejong, and Bucheon.

Joohee Hwang, General Medicine (GM) Marketing Director at Handok, said, "We are very pleased to provide public lectures to patients with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers nationwide who need information for continuous diabetes management," adding, "We will continue to provide educational opportunities that offer practical help to patients with type 1 diabetes and become a partner that improves patients' quality of life and supports positive changes through innovative diabetes management medical devices."