Korean J Fam Pract.  2023 Dec;13(4):240-246. 10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.4.240.

Association of Hepatic Fat Deposition and Severity of Acanthosis Nigricans in Children and Adolescents with Obesity

• Lee J
• An Hj
• Seo YG
• Song HJ
• Noh HM
• Paek YJ
• Park KH

• KMID: 2549647
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.4.240

Abstract

Background
This study aimed to investigate the association between hepatic fat deposition and the severity of acanthosis nigricans (AN) in Korean children and adolescents with obesity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods
A total of 225 participants (154 males and 71 females) aged 7–16 years were recruited between 2019 and 2020 from the Intervention for Childhood and Adolescents obesity via Activity and Nutrition (ICAAN) study. All participants underwent physical assessment and blood tests, and MRI was used to measure hepatic fat (%) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT, cm 2 ) deposition. The participants were categorized into 3 groups according to the severity of AN: grade 0 (n=107), grade 1–3 (n=88), and grade 4 (n=30). After correcting for covariates, the mean deposition of hepatic fat was compared according to the severity of AN using analysis of covariance and linear regression model.
Results
The proportion of hepatic fat increased significantly with the severity of AN (Group 1: 11.63±1.07, Group 2: 15.0±1.17, Group 3: 23.0±1.95, P for trend <0.001). In addition, a significant increase in hepatic fat (%) with the severity of AN was observed when body mass index z-score (P for trend <0.001), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (P for trend=0.011), and VAT (P for trend <0.001) were included in the model.
Conclusion
Hepatic fat is positively correlated with the severity of AN in children and adolescents with obesity, suggesting that AN may be an efficacious indirect indicator for estimating the presence of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease.

Keyword

Acanthosis Nigricans; Fatty Liver; Obesity; Adolescent