Acanthosis
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| L83 | Acanthosis nigricans |
| Q82.8 | Other specified congenital skin malformations |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
Under acanthosis (gr. Akanthos : thorny / spiky) (Synonym: Acanthosis ) is in medicine a thickening of the epidermis ( the epidermis ) by a widening of the spinous layer of the skin with and without a thickening of the cornea , respectively. Most acanthosis is accompanied by an increased number of keratinocytes .
Typical symptoms in humans associated with acanthosis are acanthosis nigricans and pseudoacanthosis nigricans , as well as psoriasis vulgaris . It is also a symptom of various syndromes (including Berardinelli-Seip syndrome , Bloom syndrome , Prader-Willi syndrome and Crouzon syndrome ) and endocrinological disorders of the pituitary gland , the ovaries and the adrenal glands as well as in diabetes mellitus . Acanthosis is known as a harbinger and side effect of obesity and often occurs with insulin resistance ( hyperinsulinism ) or the overproduction of male sex hormones ( hyperandrogenemia ). It can also be triggered by the drug administration of nicotinic acid esters .
In dogs, acanthosis occurs in hepatocutaneous syndrome .
Glycogen acanthosis is found in the mucous membrane of the esophagus with nodular thickenings caused by the storage of glycogen.
