Acanthosis nigricans: a flag for insulin resistance

AbstractObjectives: Acanthosis nigricans refers to the velvety, black hyperpigmentation seen in the flexures. It is a cutaneous marker for insulin resistance (IR), some metabolic disorders and rarely malignancy. When secondary to IR, it is asymptomatic, except for the hyperpigmentation. The neck is the most accessible and easiest to grade. Our aim was to identify the predictive value of the grades of acanthosis nigricans in identifying IR, the predictive value of the textures of acanthosis nigricans in identifying IR, and the diagnostic utility of acanthosis nigricans grading in comparison to the laboratory tests.Settings and subjects: The institutional ethics committee of Sri Ramachandra University approved this study.Three hundred consecutively presenting adults (50 males) with acanthosis nigricans neck were enrolled.Design: History, physical parameters and acanthosis nigricans grades, location and textures were noted. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting serum insulin and homeostasis model as...