Pop singer Lance Bass recently revealed on social media that he has Type 1.5 diabetes, also known as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA).
The former NSYNC members initially Type 2 diabetes A few years ago, he wrote in an Instagram post:
“But when I was first diagnosed, I struggled to control my blood sugar levels, despite adjusting my diet, medication and exercise. Training Routine“Things just didn’t click,” he said.
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Bass then revealed what he called a “plot twist.”
“I was recently misdiagnosed and found out I actually have Type 1.5, or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. [LADA]”
Pop singer Lance Bass recently revealed on social media that he has Type 1.5 diabetes, also known as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA). (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bass for comment.
1.What is Type 5 Diabetes?
Experts believe that type 1.5 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks cells in the pancreas (called beta cells) that secrete insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body.
The disease is usually diagnosed in people over the age of 30 and gradually worsens over time.
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“Like type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), LADA is an autoimmune disease, but unlike T1DM, the decline in beta cell function occurs much more slowly,” said Silvana Obici, PhD, chief of the endocrinology division at Stony Brook School of Medicine. Long Island, New Yorkhe told Fox News Digital in an email.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) classifies LADA as a subset of type 1 diabetes “because they are all characterized by autoimmunity and differ only in the rate of beta cell destruction,” said Obici, who has not treated Bass.
Type 1.5 diabetes is considered an autoimmune disease: the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the cells in the pancreas (called beta cells) that make insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body. (iStock)
Symptoms of type 1.5 diabetes are similar to those of types 1 and 2 diabetes, but there are some differences.
“Type 1 is often accompanied by increased thirst, urination, hunger, and weight loss, but these symptoms are not associated with LADA. Type 2 diabetes“She was a very ill woman,” Dr. Kevin Peterson, vice president of primary care at the ADA, who did not treat Bass, told Fox News Digital.
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“Both of these conditions are characterized by fatigue, urinary tract infections, and vision loss, sometimes mild symptoms that can be ignored, and can progress slowly.”
Unlike type 2 diabetes, LADA is a disease in which insulin deficiency progresses. Lifestyle changes Peterson added that measures such as diet and exercise may not be enough, and drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may not be effective.
Possibility of misdiagnosis
Research has shown that about 10 percent of adults with type 1.5 diabetes are initially misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes.
With LADA, “the onset of symptoms is often gradual, making it difficult to distinguish between the two conditions, especially in the early stages of diagnosis,” Peterson said.
Unlike type 2 diabetes, LADA is associated with a progressive decline in insulin that cannot be controlled by lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. (iStock)
He noted that blood tests are available that can identify the type of diabetes.
Dr. David Lamb, an associate professor in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, would not comment on Bass’ case but agreed that type 1.5 diabetes can be misdiagnosed.
More than one million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year, with about 10% of those diagnosed having type 1.5.
“Testing for autoantibodies is not standardized for all patients with newly diagnosed diabetes. It is usually done when clinicians have some degree of doubt about the diagnosis,” Lam told Fox News Digital.
“This is usually Clinical History“For example, developing diabetes at a young age, having a low BMI, or having a family or personal history of autoimmune diseases,” he added.
Treatment and interventions
LADA shares some of the same symptoms as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but experts note that treatments can differ.
“In the early stages of type 1.5 diabetes, blood sugar abnormalities may only be mild because the pancreas is still able to produce enough insulin,” Lam told Fox News Digital.
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During this period, he noted, traditional treatments used to treat type 2 diabetes may be effective, “but as the disease progresses and the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin declines significantly, insulin injection therapy becomes necessary to control blood sugar levels.”
Type 1.5 diabetes is difficult to treat because the rate of progression varies from person to person and is difficult to predict, Lam noted.
Experts say all types of diabetes need to be managed through diet. (iStock)
Certain drugs Obici said treatment for the disease depends on the severity of the beta cell defect.
“When the amount of insulin produced by the beta cells is very low, these patients require insulin just as they would if they had type 1 diabetes,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“On the other hand, if beta cells produce some or significant amounts of insulin, LADA can be treated with a combination of insulin and other drugs used for type 2 diabetes, such as metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and DPPIV inhibitors.”
Obici said all types of diabetes need to be managed through diet.
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“For type 1 diabetes and LADA, dietary therapy focuses on controlling blood sugar levels and avoiding hypoglycemia,” he said.
“In type 2 diabetes, diet and lifestyle changes are important not only for blood sugar control, Weight loss“
Doctors say people who have been told they have type 2 diabetes, are young, not overweight and for whom medication is not helping, should be advised to get tested for type 1.5 diabetes. (iStock)
Dr. Brian Burch, an endocrinologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, who was not involved in Bass’s treatment, told Fox News Digital that he sees at least one patient with Type 1.5 diabetes each month in his clinic.
If someone is told they have type 2 diabetes, is young, not overweight and isn’t responding to medication, Burch typically recommends they get tested for type 1.5 diabetes.
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“As physicians, it is important to always consider this diagnosis. Diabetics” he advised.
According to the ADA, approximately 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year, with about 10% having type 1.5 diabetes.
