The Role of Acanthosis Nigricans in Identifying Clinical and Metabolic Features of the Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Children

Background: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a dermatologic marker of hyperinsulinemia and has been linked with metabolic syndrome in adults. In children, the relationship between AN and different components of the metabolic syndrome has received mixed research results. We investigated whether the clinical and metabolic profile of obese children with AN was different from those without AN.
Material and methods: We studied retrospectively the observation charts of children who were evaluated in our clinic for obesity and/or anomalies of glucose metabolism from January 1st 2005 to December 31st 2009. The study population consisted of 52 children. The analyzed data included: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), the presence or absence of AN, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the results of the oral glucose tolerance test, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, baseline insulin, the homeostatic model assessment: insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), glicated hemoglobin. We divided our study population into two groups according to the presence or absence of AN. We used One-Way ANOVA to evaluate the clinical and metabolic differences between the two study groups.
Results: We found significant differences between the two groups for BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, baseline insulin and HOMA-IR.
Conclusions: Our study shows that AN seems to be linked with most of the features of the metabolic syndrome in children. The relationship of AN and anomalies of glucose metabolism need further testing.