Cutaneous manifestations associated with obesity

Abstract

Objective To study the frequency of cutaneous manifestations of obesity and their association with severity of disease in Pakistani population.Methods 100 outdoor patients visiting Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad were studied during a period from May 2014 to July 2015. BMI was calculated by measuring weight in kilogram divided by square in height in meter. Cutaneous manifestations in obese patients with class I (CI) [BMI >30-34.9Kg/m2] and class II (CII) [BMI 35-39Kg/m2] disease were recorded.Results The mean age was 41.85±8.61 years while the mean BMI was 33.51±2.51 kg/m2. A significant difference for diabetes mellitus, striae and acanthosis nigricans was seen between CI and CII groups (p<0.05). BMI showed significant positive correlation with DM (r=0.280, p=0.005) and acne (r=0.315, p=0.001) while diabetes mellitus showed with acanthosis nigricans (r=0.373; p=0.000) and skin tags (r=0.218, p=0.029). Acne showed with miliaria (r=0.210, p=0.036) and varicose vein with xanthomas (r= 0.281, p=0.005).Conclusion Skin tags, acanthosis nigricans and acne are seen more frequently in obesity.