Acantosis nigricansis associated with risk factors related to cardiovascular disease in Mexican children with obesity.

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity in Mexican children has increased during the last decade, as has the risk of early onset metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. Objective: To determine the association of Acantosis nigricans (AN) with dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, body mass index (WI), and risk factors related to eating behavior in overweight and obese children. Patients and methods: This transverse analytical study, conducted in two Mexico City primary schools, included 300 boys and girls. Information was gathered on hereditary and perinatal background. A physical examination provided data on the presence/absence of AN, blood pressure, weight and height. The BMI and Z-score were calculated. The serum concentration of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides was quantified and the lipoprotein profile determined. Results: The prevalence of AN was 41.7%. An association was found between AN and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including BMI (rS 0.432; p < 0.0001), systolic and diastolic blood pressure above the 90th percentile (rS 0.231, p < 0.0001; rS 0.128, p = 0.026; respectively), hypertriglyceridemia (rS 0.156; p = 0.007), and low levels of cHDL (rS-0.160; p = 0.006). AN was also associated with risk eating behavior, including dieting to lose weight (p = 0.004), losing control over eating (p = 0.023), and body fat percentage above the 90th percentile (chi(2) = 35.1; p = 0.0001). No association was observed between AN and serum glucose concentration (rS-0.018; p = 0.759). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated an association of AN with a low concentration of cHDL (RM: 1.726; p = 0.041) and a high percentage of body fat (> 48%) (RM: 3.591; p = 0.001). Conclusion: A high prevalence of AN was found in overweight and obese children. There was an association between AN and risk factors of cardiovascular disease, including Z-score, BMI, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure.