Association of autoimmune thyroiditis with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA): A study from North India

Objective: The aim of this work was to study the association of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) in the patients of latent autoimmune diabetes of adult (LADA). Materials and Methods: The subjects included were more than 30 years of age, presenting with the deranged glycemic profile. After GAD65 autoantibody testing, they were grouped into LADA positive and LADA negative groups. Simultaneously, a thyroid workup for the presence of AIT was done. Statistical Analysis: The Student’s unpaired t test and chi-square test (χ2 test) were used to test for the significance of the difference in AIT between LADA and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects as applicable. A value of P < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: A total of 77 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 48 ± 13 years and M:F ratio was 1:3. A high frequency of AIT was found in the LADA group (80%) when compared to the true T2DM group (35%). Mean values of both anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (anti-TG) antibodies were found to be significantly different between LADA and T2DM. Percentage positivity for anti-TPO, anti-TG, as well as combined anti-TPO and anti-TG were also found to be significantly different. Conclusion: Based on the significant association of AIT with LADA found in our study, we recommend all AIT patients to undergo simultaneous screening for LADA for a multimodal treatment.