Which motor impairment can occur with lead exposure?

Which motor impairment can occur with lead exposure?

• A. Seizures
• B. Wrist and foot drop
• C. Hearing loss
• D. Blurred vision

Answer: (B)

Lead exposure can cause a peripheral neuropathy that shows up as weakness of the muscles that extend the wrist and ankle, producing wrist drop and sometimes foot drop. This happens because lead damages peripheral nerves and their ability to conduct signals, especially with longer exposure. The radial nerve controls wrist and finger extension, so injury or degeneration there leads to the classic wrist drop, while the peroneal nerve can cause foot drop. While seizures can occur with severe lead encephalopathy and hearing loss or blurred vision can occur with lead exposure, those are not the typical motor impairment described here. Thus wrist and foot drop best represent the motor impairment associated with lead exposure.

Lead exposure can cause a peripheral neuropathy that shows up as weakness of the muscles that extend the wrist and ankle, producing wrist drop and sometimes foot drop. This happens because lead damages peripheral nerves and their ability to conduct signals, especially with longer exposure. The radial nerve controls wrist and finger extension, so injury or degeneration there leads to the classic wrist drop, while the peroneal nerve can cause foot drop. While seizures can occur with severe lead encephalopathy and hearing loss or blurred vision can occur with lead exposure, those are not the typical motor impairment described here. Thus wrist and foot drop best represent the motor impairment associated with lead exposure.