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Abstract
Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is characterized by a velvety, darkened area of skin that usually occurs in skin folds.1 Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by at least 3/5 of the following criteria: increased central adiposity, elevated triglycerides, decreased HDL-cholesterol, hypertension, and insulin resistance.2 Prior studies have investigated AN in the setting of diabetes mellitus, however, few studies have explored the relationship between AN and MS. Our protocol systematically reviews the literature to examine the relationship between AN and MS. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for every abstract containing the keyword “acanthosis nigricans.” After review of each abstract, papers were included in the analysis if they discussed AN population rates and either MS or at least one MS criterion. Data was extracted from every eligible paper, including manuscript and author characteristics, associated MS criteria, and conditions (e.g., polycystic ovarian disease), drug-induced AN, AN prevalence/rates, and publication quality assessment using Strength Of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) level.3 In total, we included 680 articles and excluded 4,394, resulting in a patient cohort of 252,896. Of the included articles, 276 met our full MS criteria. Preliminary results show an average AN rate of 50.4% and a SORT of 2.45, excluding case reports. This preliminary data lays the groundwork for future analysis, which would address the breakdown of individual MS criteria among these patients to fully evaluate AN as an indicator of MS. This could lead to early intervention strategies aimed at preventing the progression of MS and its associated complications.