ACANTHOSIS NIGRICANS, OBESITY, AND DIABETES RISK FACTORS: A COMMUNITY-BASED MULTICENTER STUDY IN QASSIM, SAUDI ARABIA.

BACKGROUND

Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a cutaneous marker of insulin resistance and obesity, serving as an early warning sign for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Limited epidemiological data exist on the prevalence of AN among young populations in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of AN and its association with obesity and diabetes-related risk factors in a community-based sample in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2025 in Qassim. Although the study recruited participants aged ≥10 years, the sample predominantly consisted of adults, and only about one-quarter fell within the WHO-defined youth category (10-24 years). A structured, validated questionnaire was administered to 420 participants. Obesity and AN were assessed using self-report rather than clinical examination, which may introduce misclassification bias. Fasting glucose and HbA1c values were recorded when available; however, laboratory data were only accessible for a small subset of participants and were therefore interpreted cautiously.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 35.1±14.3 years. The overall prevalence of AN was 17.3%, and self-reported obesity was 24.0%. Because laboratory values were available for only a minority, related findings are considered exploratory rather than representative of the total sample. AN was significantly associated with obesity (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

AN was relatively common in this mixed-age population. Given that only a small proportion of participants met the youth definition, results should not be interpreted as representing "young people" exclusively.