Question:

Muscle pain and nephropathy are caused by which metal poisoning?

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Nephropathy is non-specific; the muscle pain points to one classic neurotoxic metal.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Arsenic
  • Cadmium
  • Mercury
  • Lead
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Nephropathy is a feature of nearly all heavy metal poisonings, so the kidney finding alone does not pin down the metal. The discriminating clue here is muscle pain (myalgia).
Step 2: Arsenic poisoning classically combines a peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy with muscle pain and tenderness, along with renal damage. The combination of myalgia plus nephropathy points to arsenic.
Step 3: Cadmium chiefly produces proximal tubular dysfunction and osteomalacia (itai-itai), mercury produces acrodynia and tubular necrosis, and lead produces colic, anaemia and motor neuropathy. The specific pairing of prominent muscle pain with nephropathy is most typical of arsenic.
Step 4: Therefore the answer is arsenic.
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