Nerve agent symptoms include which of the following?

• A. Miosis
• B. Nausea
• C. Rash
• D. Dizziness

Answer: (A)

Nerve agents cause a cholinergic crisis by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, which leads to an excess of acetylcholine across muscarinic receptors throughout the body. In the eye, this muscarinic overactivation causes the pupil to constrict, producing pinpoint pupils (miosis). This makes miosis a classic and distinctive sign of nerve agent exposure, so it’s the best answer among the options. Nausea can occur from gut stimulation but is less specific; rash is not a typical acute sign of nerve agent effects; dizziness is nonspecific and not as diagnostic. In a real scenario, managing exposure involves atropine to block muscarinic effects and pralidoxime to reactivate acetylcholinesterase.