Resistencia a la insulina e historia familiar de diabetes en ni？os y adolescentes obesos con acantosis nigricans y sin ella

introduction: the more important metabolic complications for morbidity and mortality derived from obesity have in common the insulin resistance. objective: to determine the insulin resistance and the family history of diabetes in a group of obese children and adolescents with and without acanthosis nigricans. methods: forty six obese subjects with and without acanthosis nigricans (21 boys and 25 girls) aged between 4 and 16, from the "william soler" teaching children hospital were studied from november, 2006 to february, 2007. also, they underwent a physical examination and anamnesis, a test of glucose tolerance with determination of fasting glycemia and insulinemia and at 12 hours. as criterion of insulin resistance the homa index was used. results: most of patients (36 subjects) had insulin resistance, independently of the acanthosis nigricans presence, which was neither related to the obesity degree nor the fat tricipital fold, but yes to the family history of type 2 diabetes. the presence of acanthosis nigricans was related to the obesity degree. there was a 13 % of patients with pre-diabetes criteria. conclusions: the obesity and the family history of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents were related to presence of insulin resistance, independently of presence of acanthosis nigricans.