Season 4
Episode 5 - Mirror Mirror
Brief Plot Summary
A patient is brought in after being mugged and starting to cough profusely. They give him methacholine to attempt to prove vocal cord spasms. House thinks it could be a rare form of anterograde amnesia that also manifests as a mirror syndrome. He also develops cryoglobulinemia which can't be faked. Ordering blood tests and a liver biopsy reveal histoplasmosis. He develops cryoglobulinemia again indicating that it's not fungal. House wants to find a more accurate patient history and sends Cole and Thirteen to find the man's car. When he develops cryoglobulinemia in the hot tub, they give him a fever to keep his blood flowing. Cole and Thirteen return with his belongings from his car revealing his name is Robert Elliot. House then goes in dressed as Robert with his belongings to understand if the vapor rub is significant. Robert claims that the vapor rub makes is not smell like dung. House deduces that he must work around pigs a lot and has Eperythrozoon, a bacterial infection that usually occurs in pigs.
Note: that the mirror syndrome is mostly a made up concept and no such case has been documented thus there are no specific symptoms, causes, tests or treatments.
A patient is brought in after being mugged and starting to cough profusely. They give him methacholine to attempt to prove vocal cord spasms. House thinks it could be a rare form of anterograde amnesia that also manifests as a mirror syndrome. He also develops cryoglobulinemia which can't be faked. Ordering blood tests and a liver biopsy reveal histoplasmosis. He develops cryoglobulinemia again indicating that it's not fungal. House wants to find a more accurate patient history and sends Cole and Thirteen to find the man's car. When he develops cryoglobulinemia in the hot tub, they give him a fever to keep his blood flowing. Cole and Thirteen return with his belongings from his car revealing his name is Robert Elliot. House then goes in dressed as Robert with his belongings to understand if the vapor rub is significant. Robert claims that the vapor rub makes is not smell like dung. House deduces that he must work around pigs a lot and has Eperythrozoon, a bacterial infection that usually occurs in pigs.
Note: that the mirror syndrome is mostly a made up concept and no such case has been documented thus there are no specific symptoms, causes, tests or treatments.
Diagnosed Disease: Mirror Syndrome - Plausible but fictional disease in which the patient suffers from memory loss of who he/she is, including all personality and characteristic traits. Patients are essentially a "blank slate" and will fully mimic any person they see and consider that set of characteristics/behaviors as their own.
Episode 6 - Whatever It Takes
Brief Plot Summary
After winning a drag race, Casey has a seizure and collapses while being interviewed. Though they think it could have just been the result of a heatstroke, she has another seizure. They think it could be Miller-Fischer but she develops a fever and is delirious. They start her on treatment for MS and Lupus. However, with the treatment not working, they believe it could be botulism poisoning; however a test for polio comes back positive. They try treatment with ultra-high doses of vitamin C, which seem to work. In the end, they find out that she simply had heat-stroke, but the tropical disease-obsessed intern had poisoned her with thallium to make it look like polio and cure her using Vitamin C. Meanwhile, House is called in to consult with the CIA on a possible assassination. They initially suspect radiation poisoning but House believes it's pancreatitis. When he finds that he was stationed in Brazil not Bolivia, he realizes that he could have selenium poisoning.
After winning a drag race, Casey has a seizure and collapses while being interviewed. Though they think it could have just been the result of a heatstroke, she has another seizure. They think it could be Miller-Fischer but she develops a fever and is delirious. They start her on treatment for MS and Lupus. However, with the treatment not working, they believe it could be botulism poisoning; however a test for polio comes back positive. They try treatment with ultra-high doses of vitamin C, which seem to work. In the end, they find out that she simply had heat-stroke, but the tropical disease-obsessed intern had poisoned her with thallium to make it look like polio and cure her using Vitamin C. Meanwhile, House is called in to consult with the CIA on a possible assassination. They initially suspect radiation poisoning but House believes it's pancreatitis. When he finds that he was stationed in Brazil not Bolivia, he realizes that he could have selenium poisoning.
Diagnosed Disease: Heavy Metal Poisoning - Caused by deliberate poisoning or consumption of heavy metal substances
SymptomsVary depending on the type of metal, usually affect all organ but first affect the kidneys and liver, neuropathy and other neurological symptoms follow
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CausesConsumption or exposure of said heavy metal
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TestsTesting hair for heavy metal and urine tests
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Treatment/Cure |
Source Links: Vitamin C's Protective on Thallium, Medscape,
Episode 7 - Ugly
Brief Plot Summary
Kenny is headed for facial reconstructive surgery; however, he has a heart attack right before operation. They think that he might be doing drugs and being testing; however, he begins vomiting blood. House continues to believe it's a liver problem, but Taub thinks it all due to excess inter-cranial pressure. House then believes it could be caused by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. House then sees that his fingers are twitching. Thirteen then realizes it could be Lyme Disease and they find the rash under his hair.
Kenny is headed for facial reconstructive surgery; however, he has a heart attack right before operation. They think that he might be doing drugs and being testing; however, he begins vomiting blood. House continues to believe it's a liver problem, but Taub thinks it all due to excess inter-cranial pressure. House then believes it could be caused by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. House then sees that his fingers are twitching. Thirteen then realizes it could be Lyme Disease and they find the rash under his hair.
Diagnosed Disease: Lyme Disease - Tick-borne infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to genus Borrelia
SymptomsFever, headache, and fatigue in early stages and target-like rash, joint pain, heart problems, and neurological symptoms in late stages.
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CausesInfected tick bite
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TestsDiagnosed based on the patient's symptoms and sometimes serologies to test for anti-bodies
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Treatment/CureAntibiotics, usually doxycycline, are used to treat.
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Source Links: Wiki
Episode 8 - You Don't Want to Know
Brief Plot Summary
A magician starts to bleed from his mouth after being put into to water tank as part of an act. He lost consciousness and had a heart attack. Kutner thinks there's something wrong with him and orders an MRI to test for fungus in his lung. However, right as he enters the machine, he has a massive hemorrhage due to a key he forgot about in his stomach. He then starts to bleed profusely from his nose. House puts him on antibiotics for tularemia. Then they find massive bleeding around his heart and that the antibiotics aren't working. House thinks it could be cancer and orders another MRI. He begins to bleed in his kidneys and thighs. The patient's kidney's then shut down. Kutner believes it could be a problem with the donated blood. House insists on being transfused with the same blood and he develops a fever; however, Thirteen drugs him and they test House's organs anyways. Finally House realizes that the patient has type A blood but they had given him type AB blood meaning that he has Lupus and not amyloidosis.
A magician starts to bleed from his mouth after being put into to water tank as part of an act. He lost consciousness and had a heart attack. Kutner thinks there's something wrong with him and orders an MRI to test for fungus in his lung. However, right as he enters the machine, he has a massive hemorrhage due to a key he forgot about in his stomach. He then starts to bleed profusely from his nose. House puts him on antibiotics for tularemia. Then they find massive bleeding around his heart and that the antibiotics aren't working. House thinks it could be cancer and orders another MRI. He begins to bleed in his kidneys and thighs. The patient's kidney's then shut down. Kutner believes it could be a problem with the donated blood. House insists on being transfused with the same blood and he develops a fever; however, Thirteen drugs him and they test House's organs anyways. Finally House realizes that the patient has type A blood but they had given him type AB blood meaning that he has Lupus and not amyloidosis.
Diagnosed Disease: Lupus - Chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body produces antibodies against itself.
SymptomsSymptoms can be of any organ system as it depends where the antibodies strike first; however, most people have joint pain and develop arthritis
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CausesIt can be genetic and triggered by certain factors or simply drug induced.
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TestsNo real test for lupus itself, but blood tests, echoes, and scans can reveal any autoimmune problems.
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Treatment/CureCorticosteroids and immune suppressants are used to control the disease.
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Source Links: Mayo Clinic