Since Wegener's Granulomatosis is not a household name, it's always great when the media chooses to feature the disease in the news or on a television program. The Fox television show 'House' has featured Wegener's Disease a few times. Below are two example episodes:
Season 1, Episode 9 "DNR"
In this episode, legendary jazz trumpeter John Henry Giles has been paralyzed by ALS and contracted pneumonia. House requests the case, because he doubts the ALS diagnosis. Through out the show vasculitis and specifically Wegener's Granulomatisi is mentioned as a possible diagnosis. The team orders a test for C-ANCA and asks for a biopsy while performing bronchoscopic suctioning. These tests and procedures will be familiar to most Wegener's patients.
As the episode continues, the biopsy does not reveal Wegener's Granulomatosis but House prescribes Cytoxan. In case you have not already seen the show, we will not reveal the final diagnosis or ending of the program.
Season 2, Episode 18 "Sleeping Dogs Lie"
This episode opens with Hannah lying in bed at 3 A.M., unable to sleep. Later that morning, her partner Max finds Hannah in the bathroom banging her head against the wall with an empty bottle of sleeping pills. She is bleeding. It is revealed that she has not slept for about ten days.
Hannah has apparently only been able to sleep for very short bursts of only ten seconds or so. This sleep is so short that her brain does not remember that she has slept at all. Her symptoms develop quickly from here as she starts bleeding through her rectum and then later bleading from her nose. Initially, House suspects Wegener's Disease and starts to order tests to confirm. As the tests are started it is discovered that her liver has failed and will need a transplant. As the episode continues there are some plot twists involving the relationship between Hannah and Max, which we will not reveal for those that have not seen the episode.
