Also known as: Metal poisoning from hip replacement
Cuddy's mother presents with years of seemingly hypochondriacal symptoms that are ultimately revealed to be caused by cobalt poisoning from a worn artificial hip prosthesis. The team goes through multiple misdiagnoses including lead poisoning, alcoholism, leukemia, lupus, and endocarditis before discovering the metallosis.
Also known as: A-fib
Arlene experiences recurrent episodes of atrial fibrillation at 170 bpm, which is later understood to be a manifestation of her underlying cobalt toxicity affecting the cardiac muscle.
Borderline macrocytic anemia present in Arlene's labs, initially dismissed as imaginary but later understood as part of her systemic cobalt toxicity syndrome.
House assigns Masters a distraction case of a coma patient whose fixed and dilated pupils are caused by glutethimide overdose rather than brain death. Used as a teaching case and to keep Masters occupied.