Type A insulin-resistance syndrome belongs to the group of extreme insulin-resistance syndromes (which includes leprechaunism, the lipodystrophies, Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome and type B insulin resistance syndrome) and is characterized by the triad of hyperinsulinemia, acanthosis nigricans (skin lesions associated with insulin resistance), and signs of hyperandrogenism in females without lipodystrophy and who are not overweight.