Abstract

Objective To estimate whether prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in adult European diabetes patients is associated with type of diabetes.

Research design and methods A consecutive series of patients attending hospital-based diabetes clinics were assessed for the frequency of Metabolic Syndrome and compared with population-based controls as part of the Action LADA study. In total, 2011 subjects (age range 30 – 70 years) were studied, including 1247 recent-onset type 2 diabetes patients without glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA), 117 non-insulin requiring patients with GADA off insulin therapy at least 6 months post-diagnosis, designated latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA), 288 type 1 diabetes patients and 359 normal subjects.

Results Frequency of Metabolic Syndrome was significantly different in type 1 diabetes (31.9%) and LADA (41.9%) (p=0.015), but in both conditions was less frequent than in type 2 diabetes (88.8%) (p<0.0001 for each). Eliminating glucose as a variable, prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome was similar in autoimmune diabetes (type 1 diabetes and/or LADA) (17.3%) and controls (23.7%) but remained more common in type 2 diabetes (47.8%) (p=0.001 for all groups). In both type 1 diabetes and LADA, individual components of Metabolic Syndrome were similar but less common than in type 2 diabetes patients (p<0.0001 for each).

Conclusions Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome is significantly higher in type 2 diabetes than in adults with LADA or type 1 diabetes. Excluding glucose as a variable, Metabolic Syndrome is not more prevalent in autoimmune diabetes than in controls. Metabolic Syndrome is not a characteristic of autoimmune diabetes.