What is latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)?
Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a type of diabetes. With diabetes, the body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use the insulin it makes. Insulin is a hormone that helps sugar (glucose) enter the body’s cells so it can be used as energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in the blood, which causes health problems over time.
There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Like type 1 diabetes, LADA is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your body that make insulin. But while type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed during childhood, LADA happens later in life. It's usually found in people who are at least 30 years old. With LADA, the damage to the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas happens slowly over months or years.
Because LADA happens in adults slowly over time, it's often incorrectly diagnosed at first as type 2 diabetes. But it's more closely related to type 1 diabetes. LADA is sometimes called “type 1.5 diabetes.”
Researchers are still learning more about what causes LADA.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms happen if your blood glucose gets too high. They can include:
- feeling more thirsty than usual
- peeing more than usual (increased urination)
- unexplained weight loss
Some people might also have nausea, vomiting, or belly pain or feel extremely tired.
How is it diagnosed?
To find out if you have LADA, a doctor or nurse will ask about your symptoms and do a blood test to check your blood glucose levels. If the test shows that your blood glucose is too high, you'll be asked more questions to help find out which type of diabetes you have. The doctor will look at your age, overall health, and family health history.
You may also have a blood test to look for autoantibodies. These are proteins that attack the body’s own cells. Autoantibodies can be a sign of an autoimmune disease. This can help your doctor decide whether you have LADA or type 2 diabetes.
How is it treated?
There is currently no cure for LADA, but it can be treated. Many people with LADA or other types of diabetes live healthy, active lives.
Treatment is much like treatment for other types of diabetes. The goal is to manage your blood glucose to keep it from getting too high or too low.
Your treatment might include taking medicines to make sure your body gets the right amount of insulin. At first, you may take medicines that help your body use insulin better. Many people with LADA also need to start insulin earlier than people with type 2 diabetes because the pancreas makes less insulin over time. Some people use an insulin pump. Others give themselves insulin shots.
Another part of managing LADA is making healthy life changes, such as getting enough physical activity and eating healthy foods.
No matter what your treatment plan looks like, it’s important to carefully watch your blood glucose levels. If you are not yet taking insulin and your glucose levels stay above your target level, it is important to speak with your healthcare providers. You may need to start insulin sooner to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a serious life-threatening condition that happens when the body doesn't have enough insulin and can't use the glucose needed for energy.
If you take insulin, you’ll need to adjust your insulin dose based on your meals and how active you are. Eating raises your blood glucose. Physical activity can raise or lower your blood glucose, depending on the type of activity you do.
