Evaluation of depressive symptoms in obese patients with or without acanthosis nigricans

Acanthosis nigricans (AN) has been closely associated with obesity. Depression has also been shown to be disproportionally prevalent among obese people. However, there is still a paucity of studies on the relationship between depressive symptoms and AN in obese patients. This study examined the difference in metabolic disorders and depressive symptoms between simple obesity and obesity-related AN.

A total of 88 obese patients treated in our department were selected for analysis. They were divided into simple obesity (OB n=30) and obesity with acanthosis nigricans (AN n=58). A control (CON) group included 56 normal weight healthy volunteers. The self-administrated Beck Depression Inventory-II questionnaire was used. General characteristics and clinical data were collected for analysis.

The frequency of depressive symptoms was recorded as 67.2% in the AN group, 43.4% in the OB group, and 3.6% in the CON group (P <0.001). The severity of depression in the AN group was significantly higher than in the OB group and CON group (P <0.001). Patients with moderate depressive symptoms had higher levels of inflammatory markers than those with mild symptoms depression. Free fatty acid (FFA) and uric acid (UA) level in the AN group were significantly increased compared with the OB group (P=0.010, P=0.020). Discrimination was associated with depressive symptoms (P <0.001).

Obese patients had a higher risk of depressive symptoms, which were even higher in patients with AN. AN is associated with more depressive symptoms and high inflammation status. Psychological intervention should be started early to prevent further physical and pathological impairment in obese patients, especially obese patients with AN.