Treatment-related progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: A two-year longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) exhibits clinical features overlapping type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, the burden and longitudinal progression of subclinical atherosclerosis (AS) in LADA, particularly under different treatments, remain insufficiently defined.

METHODS

This retrospective secondary analysis used data from a previously conducted clinical trial evaluating β-cell-preserving therapies in LADA. A total of 103 adults with diabetes were included (64 LADA, 39 T2DM). Carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (IMT) were assessed using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound at baseline, and 48 LADA patients underwent repeat assessment after two years. Participants received either insulin-based therapy or oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs), including sulfonylureas (SUs) and non-SU agents. Multivariable regression and mixed-effects models were used to compare baseline IMT and evaluate longitudinal IMT change.

RESULTS

Compared with T2DM, LADA participants were younger (p = 0.002) and had higher HbA1c (p = 0.001), with similar lipid profiles. Baseline carotid IMT was lower in LADA in unadjusted analyses but was comparable after multivariable adjustment (p = 0.579). Over two years, insulin-treated LADA participants showed no significant progression of carotid or femoral IMT. In contrast, SU exposure was associated with significant carotid IMT progression (p = 0.048) and a trend toward increased femoral IMT.

CONCLUSIONS

After adjustment for confounders, subclinical atherosclerosis in LADA was comparable to that in T2DM. In longitudinal analyses within LADA, insulin-based therapy was associated with stable IMT, whereas SU exposure was associated with greater IMT progression. These findings support further prospective studies to clarify treatment-related vascular effects in LADA and to inform cardiovascular risk-focused management.