[Acanthosis nigricans, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance and mixed hyperlipemia]

We report the case of a 22-year old woman who presented skin lesions of acanthosis nigricans, hirsutism and secondary amenorrhoea. She had high plasma levels of adrenal androgens and low plasma levels of sex steroid binding protein. Polycystic ovaries were discovered in the course of a laparotomy performed for paraovarian cyst. An oral glucose tolerance test revealed a state of hyperinsulinism with intolerance to carbohydrates, while the body mass index was normal. This insulin resistant state corresponded in vitro to a decrease in the number of erythrocyte insulin receptors without decrease in their affinity for insulin. Following paradoxical improvement during a full-term pregnancy, there was gradual deterioration of diabetes control requiring insulin therapy. This metabolic decompensation was accompanied by major hyperlipaemia followed by acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis. This case illustrates the course of a type A insulin resistance syndrome which was detected at an early stage in front of an hirsutism-acanthosis nigricans association. The underlying pathogenic mechanisms of these pathologies are discussed.