Question:medium
Pancreatitis occurs with:
Pancreatitis occurs with:
Show Hint
Didanosine (ddI): remember its two D-toxicities, the pancreas and the nerves.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Abacavir
- Zidovudine
- Lamivudine
- Didanosine
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The trick here is matching each anti-HIV nucleoside drug to the adverse effect it is famous for. Pancreatitis is the target.
Take zidovudine first. Being the oldest NRTI, it hits the bone marrow, leading to low red cells and low neutrophils, and it can also injure muscle. Pancreas is not its problem. Lamivudine is essentially the gentle member of the group with very little toxicity, so it does not fit. Abacavir carries a unique danger: a hypersensitivity syndrome in patients who carry the HLA-B*5701 gene, which can be life threatening but is immunologic, not pancreatic.
That leaves didanosine. This drug is well known for two dose-related toxicities, an inflamed pancreas and a painful peripheral neuropathy. The pancreatitis can be serious, especially when the drug is given alongside other agents that stress the pancreas. So the matching is clear.
$\therefore$ Didanosine is the NRTI that causes pancreatitis.
\[\boxed{\text{Didanosine}}\]
Take zidovudine first. Being the oldest NRTI, it hits the bone marrow, leading to low red cells and low neutrophils, and it can also injure muscle. Pancreas is not its problem. Lamivudine is essentially the gentle member of the group with very little toxicity, so it does not fit. Abacavir carries a unique danger: a hypersensitivity syndrome in patients who carry the HLA-B*5701 gene, which can be life threatening but is immunologic, not pancreatic.
That leaves didanosine. This drug is well known for two dose-related toxicities, an inflamed pancreas and a painful peripheral neuropathy. The pancreatitis can be serious, especially when the drug is given alongside other agents that stress the pancreas. So the matching is clear.
$\therefore$ Didanosine is the NRTI that causes pancreatitis.
\[\boxed{\text{Didanosine}}\]
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