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Acanthosis Nigricans

Ronald L. Cook, DO, MBA and Corey A. Jones, DO, BSc Reviewed 05/2023
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a benign dermatosis characterized by velvety, hyperpigmented, hyperkeratotic plaques, which

    • Are usually symmetric

    • Most often occur on the posterior neck, f...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Age of onset

    • Most common between the ages of 11 and 40 years

    • Occurrence in infancy suggests familial or syndromic AN.

    • Malignant AN is more common in older adults.

  • Past medical history

    • Obes...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Improvement of AN in obese individuals who succeed at weight loss

  • Discontinue offending drugs in drug-induced AN.

  • Improvement of malignant AN with treatment of underlying malig...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Close monitoring of BMI, glycohemoglobin, and blood pressure in obese individuals and those with insulin resistance

  • Close follow-up and appropriate interventions i...

REFERENCES

1
Barbato  MT, Criado  PR, Silva  AK, et al. Association of acanthosis nigricans and skin tags with insulin resistance. An Bras Dermatol.  2012;87(1):97–104. [Vi...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Huang Y, Hessami-Booshehri M. Acanthosis nigricans at sites of insulin injection in a man with diabetes. CMAJ. 2018No;190(47):E1390.

  • Iacovel...

CODES

ICD10

  • L83 Acanthosis nigricans

  • Q82.8 Other specified congenital malformations of skin

SNOMED

  • 72129000 acquired acanthosis nigricans (disorder)

  • 238634000 Benign acanthosis nigricans (disorder)

  • 23863500...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • AN is a benign dermatosis that is commonly associated with hyperinsulinemia and may be a useful indicator of diabetes mellitus.

  • It may also be a marker of malignancy.

  • AN due to obesity, ...

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