Latent autoimmune diabetes is best described as:

• A. Type 1 diabetes that develops in children
• B. Type 1.5 diabetes where type 1 develops in adults
• C. Gestational diabetes mellitus
• D. Inflammation of the pancreas

Answer: (B)

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults is an autoimmune form of diabetes that begins in adulthood and behaves like Type 1 but with a slower progression. It’s often called Type 1.5 because it sits between Type 1 and Type 2: autoimmune beta-cell destruction is present (often with autoantibodies), but the disease progresses more gradually, and many patients can appear insulin-independent for a period before eventually needing insulin. This adult-onset autoimmune pattern distinguishes it from classic Type 1 in children, from gestational diabetes, and from pancreatitis.

So the best description is a form of autoimmune diabetes that starts in adults and has features of Type 1 with slower progression, sometimes labeled Type 1.5.