House Diagnosis Diary: Season 2

[Photo: © 2009 FOX Broadcasting Co.]

Since House has been named the world’s most popular TV series, there is obviously a very good reason for it. It has a lot to do with the amazing writing, the well-developed characters that fascinate us and the medical mysteries that House and the team solve each week. Here are the diseases that the show covered in season 2:

• “Acceptance”
  Methanol poisoning – Methanol (also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits), is a chemical compound. It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable, toxic liquid with a distinctive odor that is somewhat milder and sweeter than ethanol. Pheochromocytoma – A neuroendocrine tumor of the medulla of the adrenal glands.
• “Autopsy”
  Thrombosis – The formation of a blood clot (thrombus) inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system.
• “Humpty Dumpty”
  Endocarditis due to psittacosis – Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. Psittacosis also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis – is an infection that is spread by birds (parrots, sparrows, pigeons, etc.).
• “TB or Not TB”
  Nesidioblastoma – A uncommon cancer of the endocrine pancreas. Tuberculosis – A common and often deadly disease caused by mycobacteria.
• “Daddy’s Boy”
  Cavernous angioma – Also known as cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM); a vascular disorder of the central nervous system that may appear either sporadically or exhibit autosomal dominant inheritance. It can also occur in other locations, such as the thyroid gland or the liver. Radiation poisoning – Damage to the organs due to excessive exposure to radiation within a short period of time.
• “Spin”
  Air embolism – A gas bubble in the blood stream. Pure red cell aplasia – a type of anemia. Thymoma – a tumor in the thymus. Myasthenia gravis – Causes severe muscle weakness.

• “Hunting”
  Echinococcosis – A potentially fatal parasitic disease that can affect many wildlife animals, commercial livestock and humans. The disease results from infection by tapeworm larvae. Patient got years earlier by handling dead foxes while hunting.
• “The Mistake”
  Undiagnosed hepatoma – Hepatoma is a malignant cancer in the liver.
• “Deception”
  Clostridium perfringens – Component of decaying egetation marine sediment found in the intestinal tract in humans. If digested causes food poisoning. Münchausen syndrome – A psychiatric disorder in which those affected fake disease, illness or psychological trauma in order to draw attention or sympathy to themselves.
• “Failure to Communicate”
  Cerebral malaria – Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. Cerebral malaria is a widespread disease of the brain.
• “Need to Know”
  Ritalin use and hepatocellular adenoma – Hepatocellular adenoma, also hepatic adenoma, or rarely hepadenoma, is an uncommon benign liver tumor which is associated with the use of types of hormonal contraception with a high estrogen content.
• “Distractions”
  Serotonin syndrome – A potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction that may occur following therapeutic drug use, inadvertent interactions between drugs or the recreational use of certain drugs.
• “Skin Deep”
  Male pseudohermaphroditism and testicular cancer androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) – Also referred to as androgen resistance syndrome; is a set of disorders of sexual differentiation caused by mutations of the gene encoding the androgen receptor. We find out that the supermodel was actually a man with testicular cancer.
• “Sex Kills”
  Brucellosis (Henry) – Also called undulant fever, or Malta fever, a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. Gonorrhea (Laura) – Highly contagious STD.
• “Clueless”
  Gold sodium thiomalate poisoning – Sodium aurothiomalate (gold sodium thiomalate) is an organogold compound and is used for its antirheumatic effects to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
• “Safe”
  Tick paralysis – The illness is caused by a neurotoxin produced in the tick’s salivary gland. After prolonged attachment, the engorged tick transmits the toxin to its host.
• “All In”
  Erdheim-Chester disease – A rare disease characterized by the abnormal multiplication of a specific type of white blood cells. Onset usually occurs in middle age. The disease involves a generalized sclerosis (hardening) of the long bones.
• “Sleeping Dogs Lie”
  Bubonic plague – An infection of the lymphatic system, usually resulting from the bite of an infected flea. The fleas are often found on rodents, such as rats, and seek out other prey when their rodent hosts die.
• “House vs. God”
  Tuberous sclerosis – A rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs and skin. Herpes encephalitis – Brain inflammation caused by herpes simplex.
• “Euphoria, Part 1”
  No diagnosis.
• “Euphoria, Part 2”
  Induced Legionellosis – Bacteria infection. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis – A disease of the central nervous system caused by infection from brain eating amoeba such as Naegleria fowleri.
• “Forever”
  Pellagra – A vitamin deficiency disease caused by dietary lack of vitamin (B3) and protein, especially proteins containing the essential amino acid tryptophan. Celiac disease – an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, failure to thrive (in children) and fatigue. MALT lymphoma – A form of lymphoma involving the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), frequently of the stomach, but virtually any mucosal site can be afflicted. It is a cancer originating from B cells in the marginal zone of the MALT.
• “Who’s Your Daddy?”
  Haemochromatosis – A hereditary disease characterized by excessive absorption of dietary iron resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores. Excess iron accumulates in tissues and organs disrupting their normal function. Zygomycosis – A rare yet serious and potentially life-threatening fungal infections, usually affecting the face or oropharyngeal cavity. Zygomycosis is often caused by common fungi which can be found in soil and decaying vegetation.
• “No Reason”
  No diagnosis (hallucination by House).