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How can chronic arsenic or lead poisoning lead to weakness and muscle atrophy?
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atrophy
One example of atrophy is the progressive loss of bone that occurs in osteoporosis (normal bone shown on left; osteoporotic bone shown on right).
Chronic arsenic and lead poisoning do not cause muscle atrophy through direct damage to muscle tissue itself. Instead, these conditions induce peripheral neuropathy, a state of nerve degeneration.1
In cases of chronic arsenic poisoning, the chemical causes degenerative changes in the peripheral nerves. Similarly, chronic lead poisoning is characterized by peripheral nerve damage that often manifests as muscular weakness or paralysis in the limbs. Because these nerves are responsible for stimulating the muscles in the arms and legs, their degradation leads to a loss of function, which subsequently results in the atrophy of the tissues they supply.12