Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the study patients
| n | LADA | Classic T1DM | Non-T1DM | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 658 | 356 | 16,335 | ||
| Age, years | 50.84±11.74†,‡ | 45.44±11.23† | 52.82±11.47‡ | <0.0001 |
| Age at diagnosis, years | 50.75±11.79†,‡ | 45.34±11.28† | 52.82±11.47‡ | <0.0001 |
| Male, % | 368(55.9) | 215(60.4) | 9759(59.7) | 0.141 |
| BMI | 22.87±3.66†,‡ | 21.38±3.47† | 24.80±3.49‡ | <0.0001 |
| Overweight | 175(27.8)†,‡ | 54(16.2)† | 6458(41.3)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Obesity | 50(7.9) ‡ | 14(4.2) | 2586(16.5)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 83.64±11.11†,‡ | 80.76±10.09† | 88.35±10.40‡ | <0.0001 |
| Central obesity, % | 191(33.5)†,‡ | 73(23.2)† | 7496(52.6)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Family history of diabetes | 149(23.2)‡ | 79(22.9) | 4414(28.1)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Systolic BP | 123.86±15.89†,‡ | 119.76±16.08† | 128.20±16.40‡ | <0.0001 |
| Diastolic BP | 78.17±10.42†,‡ | 75.56±11.11† | 80.29±10.48‡ | <0.0001 |
| SBP/DBP≥130/80 mmHg | 233(37.4) ‡ | 112(33.0) | 7651(49.9)‡ | <0.0001 |
| LDL-C, mmol/L | 2.83±1.00† | 2.64±1.06† | 2.87±1.00 | <0.0001 |
| LDL-C≥2.6 mmol/L | 349(56.1)† | 160(47.9)† | 9115(59.7) | <0.0001 |
| Triglyceride, mmol/L | 1.73±1.44‡ | 1.54±1.36 | 2.25±1.69 ‡ | <0.0001 |
| Triglyceride≥1.70 mmol/L | 206(33.2) ‡ | 93(27.7) | 7810(51.3)‡ | <0.0001 |
| HDL-C, mmol/L | 1.26±0.41‡ | 1.24±0.42 | 1.18±0.38‡ | <0.0001 |
| HDL-C≤1.0 mmol/L in male or ≤1.3 mmol in female | 277(44.7)‡ | 141(42.2) | 7790(51.5)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Abnormal lipid profile | 389(62.3)‡ | 203(60.2) | 11,907(76.9)‡ | <0.0001 |
| HbA1c, % | 10.09±2.94†,‡ | 11.17±3.04† | 9.27±2.70‡ | <0.0001 |
| HbA1c <7.0% (53 mmol/mol) | 103(16.5)†,‡ | 36(10.5)† | 3750(24.3)‡ | <0.0001 |
| HbA1c ≥7.0% (53 mmol/mol) | 521(83.5)†,‡ | 308(89.5)† | 11,710(75.7)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Fasting C-peptide, nmol/L | 0.37(0.19–0.60)†,‡ | 0.09(0.03–0.18)† | 0.57(0.37–0.82)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Postprandial C-peptide, nmol/L | 0.80(0.39–1.62)†,‡ | 0.16(0.05–0.34)† | 1.46(0.90–2.28)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Preserved β-cell function | 497(81.2)†,‡ | 88(25.5)† | 14,628(96.4)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Metabolic syndrome | 280(64.2)†,‡ | 117(51.3)† | 10,260(85.5)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Lifestyle | ||||
| Current smoking | 191(29.8) | 116(33.6) | 4872(30.7) | 0.454 |
| Current drinking | 87(13.7)‡ | 57(16.6) | 2918(18.5)‡ | 0.006 |
| Diet treatment | 302(56.4)†,‡ | 171(53.4)† | 7174(61.2)‡ | 0.002 |
| Physical activity | 253(47.3)†,‡ | 142(44.4)† | 6075(51.8)‡ | 0.005 |
| Location of residence | ||||
| South vs North | 440(66.9) vs 218(33.1) | 243(68.3) vs 113(31.7) | 11,120(68.1) vs 5215(31.9) | 0.806 |
| Rural vs Urban | 115(24.2) vs 361(75.8) | 70(27.7) vs 183(72.3) | 2798(23.9) vs 8899(76.1) | 0.384 |
| Use of medications | ||||
| Antihypertensive drugs | 94(14.4)†,‡ | 24(6.8)† | 3594(22.1) ‡ | <0.0001 |
| Lipid lowering drugs | 42(6.4)‡ | 28(7.9) | 1759(10.8)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Insulin | 231(35.3)†,‡ | 235(66.4)† | 3457(21.2)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Intensive | 99(15.1)†,‡ | 164(46.3)† | 1100(6.8)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Premixed | 90(13.7)‡ | 52(14.7) | 1293(7.9)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Basal | 148(22.6)†,‡ | 191(54.0)† | 2240(13.8)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Metformin | 211(32.2)† | 66(18.6)† | 5313(32.7) | <0.0001 |
| Sulphonylurea | 89(13.6)† | 17(4.8)† | 2105(12.9) | <0.0001 |
| Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor | 143(21.8)‡ | 61(17.2) | 2643(16.2)‡ | 0.001 |
| GLP-1 based drugs | 5(0.8) | 1(0.3) | 148(0.9) | 0.434 |
Notes: Data were presented as median and their interquartile ranges or means and standard deviations or % and their numbers where appropriate; Obesity is defined as BMI≥28.0 kg/m2 and overweight defined as BMI<28.0 kg/m2 but ≥24 kg/m2; Central obesity is defined as waist circumference ≥85 cm in female and 90 cm in male; Preserved β-cell function is defined as fasting C-peptide >0.2 nmol/L or postprandial C-peptide>0.4 nmol/L; Intensive insulin is defined as long-acting insulin associated with short-acting insulin therapy; Premixed insulin is defined as premixed insulin therapy; Basal insulin is defined as long-acting insulin treatment including Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin therapy; p-values were derived from Kruskal–Wallis test (or Chi-square test) or analysis of variance; For analysis of continuous variables, Dennett’s test with LADA as the reference group was used to perform multiple comparisons with identical marks (†,‡) indicating statistically significant differences between two means. For analysis of categorical variables, z-test was used to compare differences between any two groups.
Abbreviations: LADA, latent autoimmune diabetes of adults; T1DM, type 1 diabetes mellitus; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; BP, blood pressure; TC, total cholesterol; GLP, glucagon-like peptide.