Proteomic Changes in Patients with LADA-Type Diabetes: Prospects for Diagnostic Biomarkers

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a form of diabetes with clinical and biological features overlapping those of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which may complicate early diagnosis and disease classification. Interest in proteomic and related biomarker profiles in LADA has increased in recent years because these markers may improve understanding of its pathophysiology and support more accurate differentiation from other forms of diabetes. This narrative review provides a structured overview of currently available evidence on selected inflammatory, immunological, and metabolic biomarkers associated with LADA. The reviewed literature includes data on adiponectin, IFN-γ, CCL2/MCP-1, IL-6, GPLD1, and other markers potentially linked to immune dysregulation, low-grade inflammation, and progressive β-cell dysfunction. Several studies suggest that LADA may present an intermediate biomarker profile, with some features overlapping with T1DM and others with T2DM. At the same time, the available evidence remains heterogeneous and is limited mainly by small sample sizes, cross-sectional designs, and incomplete clinical validation. Therefore, although several biomarkers appear promising for further investigation, their current role should be regarded as exploratory rather than established for routine clinical use. Further longitudinal and well-characterized studies are needed to determine whether selected biomarker patterns may eventually contribute to improved identification and stratification of LADA.