Acanthosis nigricans in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: an uncommon finding.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and the metabolic characteristics of acanthosis nigricans (AN) in a group of 28 study subjects with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods: The study participants (15 female and 13 male patients, 20 of whom were white subjects; mean body mass index, 32.7 ± 5.7 kg/m2; mean age, 45.7 ± 11.3 years) underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT), and fasting metabolic panels. AN status was clinically determined, and fat mass was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Results: All study subjects had insulin resistance (IR), and 15 (54%) had the metabolic syndrome (by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria). Of the 28 patients, 4 (14%) had AN (AN+) and 24 did not (AN-). AN+ subjects had a higher body mass index (37.7 ± 5.6 versus 31.5 ± 4.3 kg/m2), fat mass (38.9 ± 4.0 versus 29.2 ± 2.3 kg), and leptin levels (17.2 ± 3.9 versus 9.3 ± 1.6 ng/mL) (P<0.05). They also had significantly highe...