American singer and dancer Lance Bass have revealed he was finally diagnosed with Type 1.5 diabetes – an autoimmune condition, after previously being wrongly detected with type 2 diabetes for years. "When I was first diagnosed, I had a difficult time getting my glucose levels under control, even though I made adjustments to my diet, my medications, and my workout routine,” Bass revealed in a social media interview. “Things just weren't adding up,” the former NYSYNC star said on Instagram.

"But, get ready for the real doozy,” he continued, “because I recently discovered that I was misdiagnosed, and I have type 1.5."

What is LADA or Type 1.5 diabetes?

Also known as LADA or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults – the condition shares characteristics of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. According to experts, LADA is diagnosed during adulthood, and it sets in gradually, like type 2 diabetes. But unlike type 2 diabetes, LADA is an autoimmune disease and is not reversible even with changes in diet and lifestyle.

According to estimates, at least 10 per cent of people who have diabetes have LADA. Bass said despite his earlier diagnosis, he was not able to feel better.

“I was so frustrated, and it really was affecting me because I just felt like I was sick and I could not figure this out,” Bass told Yahoo! Life in an interview. “I didn't realize I was 1.5, so I was doing some wrong things.”

The 45-year-old said he had developed diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic and recalled feeling symptoms - for years. "I would get really thirsty at times," Bass told Yahoo! Life. "I would be very lethargic a lot of the time. So now that I understand what diabetes does to me, I can totally recognize when my glucose is getting higher or lower."

Bass says he now wears a Continuous Glucose Monitor attached to his body which takes readings of blood glucose levels every few minutes and sends alerts to a phone or receiver if the readings change.

Experts say the initial signs and symptoms of this diabetes type are extremely vague and may include:

If left untreated, type 1.5 diabetes can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a condition where your body may not be able to utilize sugar as fuel due to the absence of insulin and start burning fat. This produces ketones, which are toxic to the body.

Doctors say type 1.5 diabetes is usually triggered by damage done to your pancreas from antibodies against insulin-producing cells. Apart from that, in many cases, even genetic factors are involved like a family history of autoimmune conditions. When the pancreas becomes damaged in type 1.5 diabetes, your body tends to destroy pancreatic beta cells - as with type 1. If you have type 1.5 diabetes and are overweight or obese, insulin resistance might also be present.

Doctors say type 1.5 diabetes results from your body not producing enough insulin. But since its onset is gradual, oral medication that treats type 2 diabetes can work, at least at first, to treat it.

If you have LADA, you will often need insulin within five years of diagnosis. According to experts, insulin treatment is the preferred treatment method for type 1.5 diabetes and the dosage may vary daily.

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