The key facts

  • LADA diabetes is a slowly progressing form of type 1 diabetes that usually develops after the age of 30
  • In 2019, the WHO recognized it as a separate type of diabetes among the 'hybrid' forms
  • Four main forms of diabetes are distinguished in total, including gestational diabetes

What is LADA diabetes

The Kun.uz publication, citing Russian endocrinologists, reports on LADA diabetes (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults — a hidden autoimmune diabetes of adults). It is a slowly developing form of type 1 diabetes that usually appears after the age of 30. A prolonged failure to detect the disease can lead to incorrect treatment and the early development of complications.

Four forms of diabetes

According to Yulia Atamanova, an endocrinologist at Clinical Diagnostic Center No. 2 of the Petrovsky Russian Scientific Center of Surgery, diabetes is conventionally divided into four main types. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system destroys the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin; it usually begins in childhood and requires lifelong insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes is associated with excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle, is characterized by reduced sensitivity of cells to insulin, and accounts for about 90–95% of all cases. Gestational diabetes is first detected during pregnancy due to the influence of placental hormones; it most often goes away after childbirth, but it raises the mother's risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future and can affect the child's health. A separate group includes specific forms, among them LADA diabetes.

Status of the disease and the position of specialists

Galina Strakhova, an associate professor at the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology of the Institute of Continuing Education of the Pirogov University, notes that the World Health Organization in 2019 recognized LADA diabetes as a separate type of diabetes among the 'hybrid' forms, whereas the American Diabetes Association considers it a slowly developing variant of type 1 diabetes. Thus, there is no single approach to classification among professional organizations — both positions are presented in the publication without preference given to either of them.