Results of the First Genome-Wide Association Study of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults further highlight the need for a novel diabetes classification system

Abstract

Latent autoimmune diabetes of the adults (LADA) is a type of autoimmune diabetes characterized by adult-onset, presence of autoantibodies and no need for insulin treatment for a period following diagnosis. Epidemiological data suggest that LADA is the most common cluster of adult-onset autoimmune diabetes, but also the predominant form of autoimmune etiology diabetes, in general (1). LADA shares common genetic, clinical and pathophysiological features with both type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes, and for this reason it is often referred to medical literature as type 1.5 diabetes.