Lance Bass has type 1.5 diabetes – everything you need to know about LADA

Lance Bass was driving himself crazy trying to control his blood sugar after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a few years ago.

It turns out that Bass actually has latent adult-onset autoimmune diabetes, which exhibits features of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

“I recently found out I was misdiagnosed,” Bass, 45, shared on Instagram last week. “I actually have Type 1.5, also known as LADA, or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults.”

Here is everything you need to know about LADA.

What is LADA?

About 38 million Americans have diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes – which is usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence – is when your pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels.

About 90% to 95% of diabetics in the US have Type 2, which is when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well, resulting in high blood sugar. This condition is often diagnosed after the age of 45.

With type 1.5 diabetes, your body struggles to control blood sugar levels because your immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.

It is a slowly developing condition that usually begins after the age of 30.

What are the symptoms of LADA?

LADA is often misdiagnosed, as in the case of Bass, due to similarities with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

“We don’t usually test for autoimmune antibodies, and that’s how we diagnose LADA,” Dr. Janet O’Mahony, an internal medicine physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

KFF Health News recently reported that up to 10% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may have LADA.

Symptoms include:

• frequent thirst
• increased urination, including at night
• unexplained weight loss
• blurred vision
• tingling in the hands or feet
• weakness and fatigue

What are the treatment options?

Bass, who rose to fame in the ’90s with the band *NSYNC, revealed his new diagnosis while promoting the Dexcom G7, a continuous glucose monitor. He told People in March that he felt better after changing his diet and prioritizing exercise.

“Initially, LADA can be managed with lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, losing weight, making healthy dietary choices and quitting smoking,” said Dr. M. Regina Castro, a consultant in endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic, last year.

“Medications taken by mouth to lower blood sugar can also be part of a LADA treatment plan,” she continued. “But as the body slowly loses its ability to produce insulin, most people with LADA eventually need insulin.”