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Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults in China: clinical features and epidemiology

Xia Li, Yani Peng, Zhiguang Zhou · 2018 · 2 citationsRead the paper

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a type of adult-onset autoimmune diabetes with the autoimmune attack against islet beta cells similar to classic type 1 diabetes (T1DM) while manifesting as the slow progressing T2DM. Understanding more about the clinical and immunological features of LADA could help in avoiding misdiagnosis. Epidemiology studies of LADA in Europe, North America, and other Asia countries have revealed the clinical characteristics and disease progression of LADA to a certain extent. The LADA China Study and other studies in China provided further evidence for the prevalence of LADA in the Chinese population.

What the full text shows

Tested in real conditions
  • Prevalence of LADA among patients with a clinical phenotype of T2DM in China. — 5.9% (LADA China study; patients aged ≥30 years, disease duration <1 year, no ketoacidosis within 6 months, no insulin dependence within 6 months)
  • Regional difference in LADA prevalence between Northern and Southern China. — 6.5% (North) vs 5.4% (South) (LADA China study)
  • Distribution of GADA titers among LADA patients. — 26.5% high titer (≥180 units/mL) vs 73.5% low titer (<180 units/mL) (LADA China study)
  • Prevalence of LADA in young adults (15-29 years) presenting as T2DM. — 11.7% GADA positivity rate (Concurrent recruitment study)
  • Progression to insulin dependence for GADA-positive patients over 6 years. — 94% (ICA positive) and 84% (GADA positive) vs 14% (antibody negative) (UKPDS study)
  • Average BMI of LADA patients in China compared to Norway. — 23.9 kg/m2 vs 28.7 kg/m2 (LADA China study vs HUNT study)
Setup
LADA China study: 4,880 patients recruited from 46 tertiary hospitals across 25 cities in China.
How
The paper is a review and analysis of epidemiological data, primarily focusing on the LADA China study, a nationwide multicenter cross-sectional investigation. It utilizes antibody screening (GADA, IA-2A, IAA, ZnT8A) and clinical markers (FCP, BMI) to characterize LADA.
Limitations
Inconsistency in inclusion criteria and antibody detection methods across different studies. · Potential for false positives in antibody testing. · Lack of immunogenetic explanation for the observed North-South prevalence gradient.

Summarized by Gemma 4 from the open-access full text · 8 Oct 2026. Read it