Have you heard of type 1.5 diabetes?

You likely are familiar with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and maybe even gestational diabetes which can occur during pregnancy. But due to a celebrity diagnosis, an often overlooked form of the chronic disease recently received attention: latent autoimmune diabetes (LADA), sometimes referred to as type 1.5 diabetes.

“While most people think of type 1 and type 2 as the two categories of diabetes a person can have, it is more complex than that,” explains Dr. Rebecca Morey, an endocrinologist at Advocate Health Care. “About 5 to 10% of individuals have other forms of diabetes, which can include conditions like LADA and maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY).”

LADA usually develops in adults and progresses over time. At first, symptoms may be controlled with lifestyle changes. Overtime, the body attacks itself, destroying its ability to make insulin.

“The antibodies that destroy the body’s ability to make insulin are also seen in type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Morey explains. “The main difference is that the destruction of the pancreas happens slower in LADA so patients sometimes can control their diabetes without multiple injections of insulin — sometimes for several years.”

Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin shots whereas type 2 diabetes is treated with lifestyle modifications and sometimes oral medications. Depending on the case, LADA can be treated like type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes.

“Understanding the type of diabetes a person has can be complex and sometimes requires blood work and genetic testing,” Dr. Morey says. “New research is currently underway to better understand atypical diabetic conditions.”

Ask your primary care or endocrinology provider if you have any questions about the type of diabetes you have or your risk.

Want to learn more about your risk for diabetes? Take a free online quiz.