Skin Before the Scale: Acanthosis Nigricans and Acrochordons Expose Cardiometabolic Risk Beyond BMI in Adolescents
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Body mass index may fail to identify adolescents with occult cardiometabolic abnormalities. Acanthosisnigricans and acrochordons may provide externally visible indicators of insulin resistance and metabolic risk. Methods: This prospective analytical study included 180 adolescents aged 10–18 years, comprising 90 with acanthosisnigricans and/or acrochordons and 90 controls. Dermatological examination, anthropometry, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c and lipid profile were assessed. The triglyceride-glucose index was calculated. Multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses evaluated predictors of clustered cardiometabolic abnormalities. Results: Cardiometabolic abnormalities were present in 44.4% of adolescents with cutaneous markers versus 20.0% of controls (p<0.001). Among normal-BMI participants, marker-positive adolescents had significantly higher glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, TyG index, waist-to-height ratio and systolic blood pressure and lower HDL-C. At least two abnormalities occurred in 50.0% versus 14.5%, respectively (p<0.001). Cutaneous markers independently predicted cardiometabolic risk (adjusted OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.31–5.73). TyG achieved an AUC of 0.79, while the combined model achieved 0.86. Conclusion: Cutaneous metabolic markers may identify cardiometabolic risk beyond BMI and facilitate targeted screening of apparently normal-weight adolescents. Keywords: Acanthosisnigricans, Adolescents, Acrochordons, Cardiometabolic risk, Triglyceride-glucose index.
Institution: GSL Medical College & General Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Skin Diseases and Diabetes
Subfield: Dermatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223571818