TY - JOUR A1 - Shenoy, Chetana A1 - Shenoy, Manjunath A1 - Krishna, Sowmyashree A1 - Pinto, Malcolm T1 - Skin tags are not merely cosmetic: A study on its association with metabolic syndrome Y1 - 2016/1/1 JF - International Journal of Health & Allied Sciences JO - Int J Health Allied Sci SP - 50 EP - 52 VL - 5 IS - 1 UR - https://www.ijhas.in/article.asp?issn=2278-344X;year=2016;volume=5;issue=1;spage=50;epage=52;aulast=Shenoy DO - 10.4103/2278-344X.173882 N2 - Background: Skin tags (STs) are common benign lesions composed of loose fibrous tissue and occur mainly on the neck and flexures as small, soft protrusions. They are common and are merely considered as a cosmetic problem. However, they have been associated with various clinical conditions and that with metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been a matter of special concern. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of MetS in patients with STs and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: We performed a hospital-based case-control study on 30 adult patients with STs and 30 controls. MetS was diagnosed by the presence of 3 or more of the South Asian Modified National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Panel III criteria. Results: MetS was significantly more common in STs patients than in controls (70% vs. 30%, P = 0.0019). Psoriatic patients also had a higher frequency of triglyceridemia and abdominal obesity (P < 0.05) There was no significant difference in the fasting blood sugar, high density lipoprotein levels, and presence of hypertension among patients with psoriasis and controls. Conclusion: STs could be considered as a warning sign for MetS and their presence may help in the early detection of at-risk patients for cardiovascular morbidities. ER -