Season 2
Episode 5 - Daddy's Boy
Brief Plot Summary
A Princeton graduate has been going for a week with intermittent shocks of excrutiating pain. They believe it could be explained from the alcohol or marajuana but find out that his friends aren't having any of the same symptoms. When they realize his dad owns a scrapyard, House realizes a keychain is highly radioactive and has been causing his son's symptoms and has also destroyed his immune system, leaving him susceptible to infection and tumors such as the cavernous angioma in his spinal cord.
A Princeton graduate has been going for a week with intermittent shocks of excrutiating pain. They believe it could be explained from the alcohol or marajuana but find out that his friends aren't having any of the same symptoms. When they realize his dad owns a scrapyard, House realizes a keychain is highly radioactive and has been causing his son's symptoms and has also destroyed his immune system, leaving him susceptible to infection and tumors such as the cavernous angioma in his spinal cord.
Diagnosed Disease: Radiation Poisoning and Cavernous Angioma - Exposure to radioactive materials causes radiation poisoning which occurs because the radiation can alter DNA and thus alter bodily function including the destruction of bone marrow, the tissue that creates immune cells. Cavernous Angioma is a spine tumor that can cause random outbreaks of shocks and sudden spastic movements.
SymptomsShocks, headaches, nausea, drowsiness, sphincter paralysis, transverse myelitis (demyelination of nerves caused by inflammation in the spinal cord), fever
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CausesRadiation poisoning causes susceptibility to tumors and can eliminate bone marrow which creates white blood cells that constitute the immune system. Additionally, radiation can destroy certain regions in the body where cells die and are reborn quickly, such as the intestines and bone marrow.
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TestsA geiger counter can usually be used to measure levels of radiation in the body or to measure objects that maybe radioactive.
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Treatment/CureThere is no specific treatment since the body must recover on its own. Thus, treatment is focused on alleviating the symptoms until the body recovers.
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Source Links: Wikipedia
Episode 6 - Spin
Brief Plot Summary
A famous cyclist collapse while racing on the track. When admitted, he admits that he takes illegal drugs to help boost his cycling performance. He takes blood transfusions, ampetamines, and sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber. At first House believes an air bubble in his lungs is causing the respiratory distress, but it turns out that a thymoma in the patient's neck is causing his chronic pure red cell aplasia and is linked with a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
A famous cyclist collapse while racing on the track. When admitted, he admits that he takes illegal drugs to help boost his cycling performance. He takes blood transfusions, ampetamines, and sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber. At first House believes an air bubble in his lungs is causing the respiratory distress, but it turns out that a thymoma in the patient's neck is causing his chronic pure red cell aplasia and is linked with a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.
Diagnosed Disease: Thymoma and Myasthenia Gravis - A thymoma is an tumor growth of endothelial cells in the thymus which is linked with 15% of the cases of myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia Gravis is a rare autoimmune condition in which the muscle receptor in the neuromuscular junction, where neurons and muscles communicate, is attacked by antibodies.
SymptomsPure red cell aplasia (a condition in which the body doesn't produce red blood cells), muscle weakness, respiratory distress
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CausesThe cause for myasthenia gravis is unknown.
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TestsA drug called edrophonium is used as test for myasthenia gravis. It causes a sharp increase in acetylcholine, the molecule used for communication, production in the junction which allows the muscles to function better and relieves weakness for about 5 minutes before its effects wear off and the patient collapses.
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Treatment/CureSurgery is needed to remove the thymoma and chemo maybe needed if it has metastisized. For myasthenia gravis, drugs that increase acetylcholine production for extended periods of time. Also steroids and other immunosuppressive drugs are given to help control the symptoms. Interestingly, all the illegal medication that the patient was using was treatment for his conditions; the blood transfusions helped his aplasia, the hyperbaric chamber helped with respiratory distress, and the amphetamines helped with the muscle weakness.
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Source Links: NIH, pure red cell aplasia
Episode 7 - Hunting
Brief Plot Summary
A man who is HIV positive wants House to treat him for weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath which House thinks is AIDS. When he collapses and goes into anaphylactic shock, House decides to take the case. House thinks it could be a recurring infection or beryllium that caused rigidity in his lungs. He is also negative for sarcoidosis, but he appears to have a lymphoma next to his aorta. Turns out that it is actually cysts from a parasite contracted from touching a dead fox.
A man who is HIV positive wants House to treat him for weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath which House thinks is AIDS. When he collapses and goes into anaphylactic shock, House decides to take the case. House thinks it could be a recurring infection or beryllium that caused rigidity in his lungs. He is also negative for sarcoidosis, but he appears to have a lymphoma next to his aorta. Turns out that it is actually cysts from a parasite contracted from touching a dead fox.
Diagnosed Disease: Echinococcosis - This is a disease caused by a parasitic tapeworm of the genus Echinocococcus. They usually cause symtoms depending on the organ that they infect.
SymptomsFever, pain, nausea, shortness of breathe, liver scarring
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CausesTouching the fur of foxes, dogs, or sheep can transfer the parasite's eggs and can cause infection.
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TestsThe parasite can be revealed in a blood sample. The cysts can show up on an MRI or CT scan if they are large enough.
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Treatment/CureTreatment is simple and only requires surgically removing the cysts and the infection can be prevented by proper hygenie and by avoiding contact with such wild animals.
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Below is the Life Cycle of the parasite and how it can Infect humans
Source Links: CDC
Episode 8 - The Mistake
Brief Plot Summary
Kayla is admitted after severe stomach pain. She also has inflammation in the eye and genital ulcers. The team makes a quick diagnosis of Behcet's disease; however, Kayla dies due to a mistake Chase makes and her brother's liver, which gave her cancer and Hepatitis C.
Kayla is admitted after severe stomach pain. She also has inflammation in the eye and genital ulcers. The team makes a quick diagnosis of Behcet's disease; however, Kayla dies due to a mistake Chase makes and her brother's liver, which gave her cancer and Hepatitis C.
Diagnosed Disease: Behcet's Disease - Behcet's is chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder of the blood vessels. It is a systemic disease.
SymptomsA triple symptom cycle is seen with recurring oral and genital ulcers, and eye inflammation (uveitis). It can also involve aneurysms and bowel ulcers as well. Blood clots, stroke, and lung and kidney damage have also been noted.
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CausesUnknown cause, but thought to be genetic and activated by environmental stimulus.
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TestsThere is no test to confirm; however, diagnosis is based on symptoms.
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Treatment/CureThere is no treatment for Behcet's; however, steroids can be used to supress the immune system since this is an autoimmune disorder.
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Source Links: NINDS Page
