Acanthosis Nigricans: Relation to Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases among Jamaican Adolescents

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been reported among Jamaican adolescents. Detection of Acanthosis Nigricans (AN), a dark line around the neck signifying insulin resistance and related to high body mass index (BMI), can serve as an early warning sign for T2D and CVD development. The objectives of the study were to examine the relationship between the presence of AN and the risk of developing T2D and CVD among Jamaican adolescents. A descriptive epidemiological cross‐sectional study of 276 Jamaican adolescents ages 14–19 years (15.6±1.2), selected from ten high schools on the island, participated. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), glycated hemoglobin (A1c), blood pressure (BP), BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), and presence of AN were examined. Spearman correlations of AN with the other seven risk factors were highly significant for six of these other risk factors (P<0.05) except for A1c (P=0.085). Females had significantly higher WC (p<0.041), and presence of AN (P<0.013), whereas, males had significantly higher FBG (P<0.039). Urban subjects had significantly higher BMI (P<0.018) and WC (P<0.021) than rural subjects. High total cholesterol was significant for subjects with lower income (P<0.039). The presence of AN classified more subjects at risk than did the other seven risk factors. Examining students for the presence of AN can be economically and easily performed within the schools. Over one third of the study subjects reported three or more risk factors for T2D and CVD which indicates early intervention measures are needed for this population.Support or Funding InformationFunded by The Dissertation Year Fellowship and the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Florida International University