Clinical and laboratory features of latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood6,30,33
| Clinical considerations | Laboratory features |
|---|---|
| Age > 30 yr | GAD and ICA antibodies present |
| Patients may be overweight, but typically leaner than those with type 2 diabetes | Insulin antibodies often absent |
| Patients may have mild to moderate insulin resistance27 | Autoimmune markers may show subtle differences from those of childhood type 1 diabetes, but are more similar to antibodies seen in adult-onset type 1 diabetes29 |
| Occurs in people of various ethnicities | |
| Progression to insulin therapy slower than for patients with type 1 diabetes, but quicker than for those with type 2 diabetes | |
| Avoid β-cell stressors such as secretagogues32 | |
| May be treated initially with oral antihyperglycemic agents, but insulin should be introduced early if glycemic control cannot be maintained |
Note: GAD = glutamic acid decarboxylase, ICA = islet cell antibodies.