A Cross-Sectional Study on Acanthosis Nigricans: Clinical, Dermoscopic and Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Assessment in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

This prospective cross-sectional study, titled “A Cross-Sectional Study on Acanthosis Nigricans: Clinical, Dermoscopic, and Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Assessment,” aims to evaluate 150 patients with clinically diagnosed Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) over a two-year period (July 2025 to June 2027) at a tertiary care hospital in South India. The study will classify the types of AN,  clinically grade AN using Burke’s grading scale, assess the correlation of AN with metabolic indicators such as the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and identify specific features of AN on dermoscopy. An innovation in the study is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in grading AN from standardized clinical images, comparing its accuracy and reliability with traditional clinical assessment.

The inclusion criteria involve adults and children (aged 7 and above) with clinically evident AN, while patients with mimicking conditions, recent treatments, or unwillingness to consent are excluded. Each participant will undergo a detailed clinical evaluation, dermoscopic imaging and AI-assisted image analysis. The study will develop a dermoscopic grading system to complement clinical evaluation.

Statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS, applying correlation tests, chi-square, t-tests, and Cohen’s Kappa for inter-rater reliability. The primary outcomes include identifying clinical and dermoscopic patterns of AN, exploring the correlation with metabolic parameters, and evaluating AI performance in grading AN. The project is self-funded, with budget of Rs 2,000 allocated for printing study materials.