Diseases on House, MD

House, M.D. is one of those shows with a language all its own. Regular viewers have to come to expect Dr. House and his team to throw out several bogus diagnoses before hitting on the totally obscure and unpronounceable thing that's actually wrong with the dying patient. Regular viewers also get a kick out of the diagnosis process because the same handful of diseases come up on almost every episode. Here's a list of some of the most common recurring diseases on House and what they actually mean.

Sarcoidosis

No one knows for sure what causes sarcoidosis, which is one of the things that makes this scary-sounding condition appear over and over again as a potential disease on House. Sarcoidosis occurs when an immune reaction gone wrong and presents itself as granulomas (or a bunch of lumps) in various organs of the body. While sarcoidosis most often occurs in the lungs, it can also show up in places like the heart, liver, eyes, or skin.

Temporarily suppressing the patient's immune system is one possible treatment, but often the underlying cause of the immune response must be identified for sarcoidosis to be successfully eliminated.

Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is another disease on House that most likely gets frequently mentioned due to its multiple presentations and causes. It's also pretty rare. According to the Mayo Clinic website, only about 3,000 people in North America get diagnosed with it every year.

Amyloidosis actually refers to a whole group of disorders in which proteins in the body are deposited in the wrong places. These protein deposits then interfere with the normal functioning of the organ or tissue where they have been left. There is no true cure for amyloidosis, but it is treatable with drugs that limit the body's ability to manufacture the affected protein.

Munchausen Syndrome

Of all the diseases on House, Munchausen syndrome is one of the coolest because it doesn't really exist. Munchausen syndrome is actually a mental disorder in which the patient fabricates a physical disease in order to receive treatment. It's most commonly seen in patients with a history of childhood abuse or patients who have previously been hospitalized for a real illness.

No one is sure what the motivation for faking a life-threatening illness, but these patients may crave attention or have other psychological problems like personality disorders. Munchausen syndrome is difficult to treat, because medicine will not actually "cure" the symptoms of the faked disease. These patients must be referred to a mental health professional.

Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is a disease that often appears on House probably because it is the most common genetic disorder in the United States, with about one in two or three hundred people suffering from it. Hemochromatosis occurs when too much iron builds up in the body. Left untreated, it can cause serious organ damage and even liver failure. Removing blood from a patient with hemochromatosis is one way to decrease iron levels, as is following a diet that excludes as much iron as possible.

Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease is less often a diagnosis and more of a grim shadow lurking in the background for the characters of House. Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadly knows that she carries the genetic mutation for this disorder that should be manifesting itself very soon, giver her age on the show.

Huntington's disease is characterized by mental degeneration, affected speech, uncontrolled movements, and early death. There is no cure, but some believe that symptoms can be delayed by dopamine blockers and performing mental exercise.

Lupus

Regular viewers of House often repeat the line, "It's never lupus." Lupus is one of the toughest diseases to diagnose because symptoms can come and go and be just about anything. One of the only commonalities among lupus patients is joint pain and swelling. Lupus used to get thrown into the diagnostic soup as a red herring, but finally in the episode titled "You Don't Want to Know" in Season 4, the patient is successfully diagnosed with lupus.