What are MODY and LADA?

In the Netherlands, 1,2 million people have diabetes. A fifth do not know this yet, because complaints are still too vague. When we talk about diabetes, it mainly concerns type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These forms of diabetes are the most common. But there are also other forms of diabetes that Dutch people suffer from, including MODY and LADA.

MODY

MODY is an abbreviation for Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young. As the name suggests, this form of diabetes is often diagnosed at a young age. This is usually between 10 and 25 years. In the Netherlands there are 900 registered MODY diabetes patients, but because MODY is very similar to type 1 diabetes, it is estimated that there are actually 20.000 patients. The doctor will not always make the correct diagnosis.

Not an unhealthy lifestyle, but a deviation in it DNA (hereditary material) is the cause of this chronic condition. MODY itself also has different types, depending on where the abnormality is located in the hereditary material. There are different symptoms per type. MODY 3 occurs most often and causes thirst, frequent urination and high blood glucose levels. The condition can be diagnosed with the help of DNA research. Does one of your parents have MODY? Then you have a 50 percent chance that you also have this form of diabetes.

If all of the factors below apply to you, you may be MODY:

1. You are a diabetes patient with a BMI lower than 25 (not overweight)
2. Several family members have diabetes, including several generations.
3. Someone in the family was diagnosed with diabetes when they were younger than 25 years old.
4. No antibodies related to type 1 diabetes are found in your body.

You may consider diagnosing MODY with a DNA test. You can also have regular blood tests to detect high blood glucose levels. Treatment depends on the type of MODY, but generally no insulin is required. Often these are just tablets that ensure that the beta cell releases insulin into the body again.

LADA

Just like MODY, LADA is also an abbreviation. The full name is Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults. It is actually type 1 diabetes at a later age (from 35-40 years), but much more difficult to recognize. The condition is vague and dormant and the administration of insulin is often not necessary at first. Because of this mild form of diabetes, people often think of type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that 15 percent of type 2 diabetes patients actually have LADA type 1 diabetes. Since more than 1 million Dutch people have type 2 diabetes, there are at least 150.000 Dutch people with LADA. This form of diabetes usually occurs when you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes without being overweight and over the age of twenty and you also have to inject insulin.

Fatigue and frequent urination are complaints that may indicate LADA, but these complaints also occur frequently for other reasons, so additional research will have to provide a definitive answer. LADA can be recognized by a blood test. The quantity is taken into account glucose and the presence of antibodies in the blood. When the immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin, this will be visible on the basis of these antibodies. This indicates diabetes type 1. So if type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed based on symptoms, LADA type 1 diabetes can still be diagnosed with a blood test.