New thesis about latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)

• Jessica, what is the thesis about?
Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a hybrid form of diabetes that is similar to both autoimmune type 1 diabetes and insulin resistant type 2 diabetes, and for which there are few known risk factors.

The thesis investigates potential risk factors for LADA and how they may interact with genetic susceptibility to diabetes.

’• Can you tell us about some interesting results?
We found that smoking and snus use, which are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, also increase the risk of LADA.

The association may be more pronounced in individuals with genetic susceptibility to either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, there was no evidence that prior infections or antibiotic exposure, which have been linked to childhood onset type 1 diabetes, increase the risk of LADA.

• What further research is needed in the area?
Studies investigating the association between new types of tobacco and nicotine products (e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn, tobacco-free snus) and LADA are clearly needed due to their increasing popularity.

It is unknown whether specific viral or bacterial infections may increase the risk of LADA, and/or if exposure in childhood increases the risk of LADA later in life.

• Link to the thesis: Infections, antibiotics, tobacco, genetic factors and risk of lada: latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, and type 2 diabetes

https://openarchive.ki.se/xmlui/handle/10616/49083

About the dissertation

Time: May 17
Location: Inghesalen, Widerströmska huset, floor 2, Tomtebodavägen 18a

Principal Supervisor
Sofia Carlsson, Senior lecturer, Institute of Environmental Medicine, KI

Co-supervisors
Tiinamaija Tuomi, Professor, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki
Bjørn Olav Åsvold, Professor, Dept of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University for Science and Technology
Bahareh Rasouli, PhD, Institute of Environmental Medicine, KI