Explaining a Diagnosis Few Know

LADA is not widely known, including among people who work in healthcare. You will explain it more often than you expect, so it helps to have a version ready.

A short one that works for almost everyone: "My diabetes is the autoimmune kind, like Type 1, but it started in adulthood and developed slowly. My body has stopped making enough insulin, so I take insulin to replace it."

For family, the useful additions are that this was not caused by diet or weight, that it will need treatment to change over time, and — for close relatives — that autoimmune conditions cluster in families, so thyroid problems and Type 1 diabetes are worth being aware of.

At work, you rarely need the diagnosis at all. What matters practically is that you may need to eat at particular times, may need to check your blood sugar, and that if you seem confused or unwell, sugar is the answer.

With a new doctor, be specific rather than using the name alone. Say that you have LADA, that it was confirmed by a positive GAD antibody test, give the date, and offer the report. "LADA" on its own may be recorded as Type 2; a GAD antibody result cannot be.

For insurers and forms with only two boxes, answer accurately and add a note. Being consistent across documents matters more than which box gets ticked.

Carrying your reports is what makes all of this easy — see keeping your diagnosis on record.