LADA and Other Autoimmune Conditions

An immune system that has turned on one part of the body is more likely to turn on another. So autoimmune conditions tend to travel together, in one person and across a family.

In LADA the most common companion is thyroid disease — an underactive thyroid from Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or an overactive one from Graves' disease. Antibodies against the thyroid are found more often in LADA than in Type 2 diabetes.

Others reported alongside LADA include coeliac disease, in which gluten damages the small intestine; rheumatoid arthritis; and pernicious anaemia, where the body cannot absorb vitamin B12 properly. Markers of gluten sensitivity are also more common in LADA than in Type 2.

This matters in two directions.

• If you already have an autoimmune condition and then develop diabetes as an adult, that history is a real reason to ask about antibody testing.
• If autoimmune conditions run in your family — a parent or sibling with thyroid disease, coeliac disease or Type 1 diabetes — the same applies, even if you have nothing yourself.
• Once LADA is confirmed, thyroid function is worth checking, and worth rechecking over the years.

Personal and family history of autoimmune disease are both part of the simple checklist doctors use to decide who should be tested for LADA.

None of this means you will develop these conditions. It means they are worth watching for, and that screening should include them.