Association of Acanthosis Nigricans and Acrochordon with Insulin Resistance: A Cross-Sectional Hospital-Based Study from North India.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional case-control observational study
PubMed 32180596 · doi:10.4103/ijd.IJD_646_18
What was done
A hospital-based cross-sectional study in North India evaluated 70 patients with acanthosis nigricans and/or acrochordon (cases) and 70 controls. Both groups were assessed for insulin resistance using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) formula.
What was found
Insulin resistance was detected in 41.4% of cases compared to 17.1% of controls (P < 0.01). The mean HOMA-IR score was significantly higher in cases (4.32 ± 4.44) than in controls (2.27 ± 0.90) (P < 0.05).
Why it matters
This adds evidence that visible skin lesions like acanthosis nigricans and skin tags can serve as clinical indicators for underlying metabolic dysfunction and pre-diabetes.
Limits
The sample size was small (70 cases and 70 controls) and recruited from a single hospital. The cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, and potential confounders such as hyperlipidemia and metabolic syndrome were not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports Brown skin tags in areas such as armpits and the neck are early signs of insulin resistance.