[Study on prevalence of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults and its relationship with metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence, clinical features of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) from phenotypic type 2 diabetic patients and the relationship between LADA and metabolic syndrome (MS).

METHODS

Sera from 1711 phenotypic type 2 diabetic patients were screened for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-Ab) and protein tyrosine phosphatase antibody (IA2-Ab) through radioligand assay. The prevalence of LADA and its relation with clinical features were analyzed.

RESULTS

(1) The prevalence of LADA in phenotypic type 2 diabetic patients was 6.7% (115/1711), the positive frequency of GAD-Ab and IA2-Ab was 6.0% and 2.4% respectively. (2) The prevalence of LADA from phenotypic type 2 diabetic patients with a duration of diabetes less than 1 year which was much higher than that of patients with a duration over 1 year (10.4% vs 5.9%, P < 0.01). (3) The prevalence of LADA was higher in patients with younger age at onset, lower body mass index and lower level of postprandial C peptide and without diabetes family history. (4) 51.3% of LADA patients were suffered from at least one kind of metabolic disorders besides hyperglycemia, 21.7% of them were with MS. The prevalence from high to low of those metabolic disorders were as follows: hypertension, dyslipidemia, overweight/obesity.

CONCLUSION

(1) 6.7% of phenotypic type 2 diabetic patients were LADA, of whom early diagnosis of diabetic type should be made to guide clinical therapies. (2) More than 1/5 patients with MS were found in LADA patients, indicating an overall screening and intervention of metabolic disorder factors is important in LADA patients.