Also known as: Iron overload
The central diagnosis of the episode. A teenage patient presents with severe headaches, rage, personality issues, and multiple organ failures. The team explores numerous possibilities including cluster headaches, amyloidosis, and genetic disorders before House diagnoses hemochromatosis - a condition where the body absorbs but cannot process iron, causing it to accumulate in organs and joints. The patient's recent switch from vegetarianism to eating red meat accelerated the iron buildup and worsened his condition.
Also known as: Kidney failure
The patient develops acute kidney failure as a complication of his underlying hemochromatosis, presenting with bloody urine and requiring emergency dialysis. This becomes a critical symptom that helps narrow the differential diagnosis.
Also known as: Liver failure
The patient develops acute liver failure with jaundice, with liver function operating at only 20% capacity and deteriorating. This is a complication of the iron overload from hemochromatosis and becomes a life-threatening emergency during the episode.
Initially diagnosed as the cause of the patient's severe head pain and treated with blood thinners, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and psilocybin mushrooms. Eventually ruled out as the primary diagnosis, though the headaches themselves were a genuine symptom of the underlying hemochromatosis.
Also known as: Low testosterone with testicular shrinkage
The patient is discovered to have undersized testes during examination, which becomes an important diagnostic clue. Initially thought to indicate a pituitary or hypothalamic problem, it ultimately fits with the hemochromatosis diagnosis as iron can affect endocrine function.