Association Between Skin Tags and Insulin Resistance Among Adult Patients in Libya: A Cross-Sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/2e2ze972الملخص
Background: Skin tags (acrochordons) are common benign skin lesions that have been suggested as potential clinical markers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. However, evidence regarding this association remains inconsistent across different populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the number of skin tags and insulin resistance among adult patients in Libya.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 60 adult patients attending a dermatology outpatient clinic in Al-Marj, Libya, between January and June 2026. Demographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The number of skin tags was determined through clinical examination, while insulin resistance was assessed using the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) calculated from fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin levels. Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-tests, and simple linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 26, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: The mean HOMA-IR value was 6.02, indicating a high prevalence of insulin resistance among the participants. A very weak positive correlation was observed between the number of skin tags and HOMA-IR (r = 0.101); however, this association was not statistically significant (p = 0.441). Likewise, age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, and fatty liver disease showed no statistically significant associations with insulin resistance (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Although insulin resistance was common among the study participants, the number of skin tags was not significantly associated with insulin resistance or other investigated metabolic risk factors. These findings suggest that skin tags should not be considered an independent clinical marker of insulin resistance but rather interpreted within the context of a comprehensive metabolic assessment. Larger multicenter studies with more diverse populations are recommended to further clarify this relationship.
التنزيلات
المراجع
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