Also known as: Fluid in the lungs
Initial presentation where Abby collapses during class due to fluid filling her lungs. This drives the diagnostic mystery as the team works to find the underlying cause of the pulmonary edema.
Also known as: Tear in the aorta
Abby's aorta ruptures during a transesophageal echocardiogram, requiring emergency open-heart surgery and cardiac resuscitation. This major complication eliminates several diagnostic theories and deepens the mystery.
Also known as: Kidney failure
Abby develops acute kidney failure with blood in her urine, indicating multi-system organ involvement and progression of her underlying condition.
The final diagnosis: Abby was sexually exposed to Egyptian schistosome parasites. Though her body killed the parasites, the remaining shells triggered a severe delayed allergic reaction causing system-wide organ damage. House discovers she was exposed through sexual contact with her boyfriend's father.
Also known as: Seizure
Abby experiences a seizure lasting over a minute, part of the neurological manifestations of her underlying parasitic hypersensitivity reaction.
Also known as: Seeing things that aren't there
Abby experiences vivid hallucinations including seeing a black hole during her MRI scan and having out-of-body experiences where she sees herself as a younger version talking to her deceased father. House uses cognitive pattern recognition to analyze the content of her hallucinations for diagnostic clues.