OMG CFRD? Understanding CF-Related Diabetes

With Melissa Putman, MD

Managing cystic fibrosis is tough—but adding cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) to the mix? That’s next level. Not everyone with CF develops CFRD, so why does it happen? And what are the emotional and mental tolls of a second diagnosis?

These are just a few of the questions we’ll tackle on the inaugural episode of It's a Lung Story.

Ahmet, Lauren, and Andrea explore all things CFRD with Dr. Melissa Putman, an endocrinologist and expert in CFRD at Mass General Brigham in Boston. Together, they dive into what makes CFRD different from other types of diabetes, the importance of screening (and how it can be improved), and the long-term risk factors that come into play now that people with CF are living longer.

Andrea and Lauren get personal, sharing their own experiences of receiving a CFRD diagnosis. The four also discuss the stellar math skills required to constantly count carbs, why diabetes in CF doesn't get its own fancy number like Type 1 or Type 2, and the exciting potential of the bionic pancreas—and what it could mean for people like Lauren and Andrea. And of course, expect a few detours—because CFRD, much like life, refuses to follow a script.

Dr. Melissa Putman is a leading endocrinologist specializing in Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD) at Mass General Hospital in Boston. She is a medicine and pediatric-trained physician at a Harvard-affiliated hospital and leads multiple clinical trials in bone health and CFRD treatments. She was also a plenary speaker at the 2024 North American CF Conference, where she discussed cutting-edge research on CFRD and the potential of the bionic pancreas in CF care.