Common causes of acanthosis nigricans are obesity, insulin resistance, medications, cancer, genetic, hormonal disorders, race. Obesity emerges as a major factor. Insulin resistance when compared to other causes underplays acanthosis nigricans incidence.
Causes and Evaluation of Acanthosis Nigricans
New York (USA), June 16, 2013
Causes of Acanthosis Nigricans
The common causes of acanthosis nigricans include:
Obesity
This promotes insulin resistance and hence obese people develop acanthosis nigricans. Skin lesions form due to excessive body weight and decrease remarkably with reduction in weight. This is common in obese adults; children do not exhibit similar symptoms.
Insulin Resistance
Pancreas secretes insulin to process sugar in body. People with acanthosis nigricans have high insulin resistance causing type 2 diabetes. Children with insulin resistance show greater incidence of acanthosis nigricans than obese children do.
Medications
Corticosteroids, oral contraceptives, and various drugs cause acanthosis nigricans.
Cancer
Internal malignancy of stomach, ovary, uterus, breast, prostate, or colon may cause acanthosis nigricans. This is a paraneoplastic syndrome. When cancer cells grow within, skin lesions or acanthosis nigricans occur.
Genetic
In rare cases, acanthosis nigricans is inherited at birth. Lesions could develop through infancy or anytime during childhood. Although acanthosis nigricans evolves gradually until puberty, thereafter it could retard or stabilize.
Hormonal Disorders
Various endocrine disorders like adrenal gland problems, ovarian cysts, and underactive thyroid glands induce acanthosis nigricans.
Race
Acanthosis nigricans occurs with a higher incidence in dark-skinned people normally those of sub-Saharan African or African American descent. Pigmentation is more across hands and feet.
Evaluation of Acanthosis Nigricans
Overall, exact cause of acanthosis nigricans is unclear. Obesity emerges as a major contributing factor. Acanthosis nigricans is prominently present in people who weigh more than double their ideal weight. Malignancy is another contributing factor for development of acanthosis nigricans. Acanthosis nigricans concurring with malignancy has low mortality rates. Survival period is around two years, although in extreme rare cases, it could extend to more than a decade.
Insulin resistance when compared to other causes underplays acanthosis nigricans incidence. High levels of insulin resistance may cause myriad problems and acanthosis nigricans figures as one among them. However, consistent treatment of insulin resistance lowers acanthosis nigricans appreciably. Incidentally, other causes coupled with insulin resistance exult acanthosis nigricans to high proportions.
Acanthosis nigricans does not display any gender specifications. It can occur both in men and in women. However, acanthosis nigricans has a greater incidence in adults. Young population display fewer acanthosis nigricans characteristics except if it is inherited. There are no geographical boundaries for acanthosis nigricans occurrence.
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