Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a form of autoimmune diabetes with features overlapping types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Frequently patients with LADA could be confound with T2DM patients if it was not performed a glutamic acid decarboxilase antibodies (GADA) evaluation. Even thou LADA and T2DM have similar phenotype, patients with LADA seem to have less frequent macrovascular complications.

The aim of the study was to compare prevalence of risk factors and metabolic syndrome in LADA vs T2DM patients.

Material and methods: From 798 patients with DM, using a clinical tool based on age at onset (>30 years old), no need of insulin 6 months at onset, actual treatment with insulin, we selected 234 patients. According GADA positivity, 104 patients (57 females) were positive (LADA) and 130 patients (68 females) were negative (T2DM). Clinical and laboratory data were obtained: weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol. Presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was evaluated according NCEP/ATP III criteria.

Results: LADA patients were younger than T2DM and we made adjustment for age. Triglycerides were 168.25±113.10 mg/dl in LADA vs 188.5±108.2 mg/dl in T2DM (P=0.024), HDL-cholesterol was 47.78±14.34 mg/dl in LADA vs 40.3±19.78 mg/dl (P=0.001), total cholesterol was 203.27±55.52 mg/dl in LADA vs 220.84±54.4 mg/dl (0.025), systolic blood pressure was 133.7±24.35 mmHg in LADA vs 141.44±20.67 mmHg (P=0.009), diastolic blood pressure was 76.68±14.3 mmHg in LADA vs 85.2±11.6 mmHg (P=0.03), and prevalence of MetS was 59.6% in LADA vs 88.4% in T2DM (P<0.001).

Conclusions: LADA patients had a better metabolic profile than T2DM patients with lower triglycerides, total cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and higher HDL cholesterol and lower prevalence of MetS.