Anquan Arrington said the first sign that her daughter's weight was interfering with her health was visible on the back of the 6-year-old's neck.

The Greenville mother tried diligently to scrub away the dark patches on Inikia's skin, but they wouldn't wash off.

The cause was a condition called acanthosis nigricans, said Dr. David Collier, an associate professor of pediatrics at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. It's an early indicator that an increased risk of diabetes is developing.

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