In House M.D., what disease does Thirteen learn she inherited?

In House M.D., Thirteen learns that she inherited Huntington’s disease.

Remy Hadley, known as Thirteen, discovers that genetic testing shows she carries the mutation associated with Huntington’s disease. The inherited neurodegenerative disorder progressively affects movement, cognition, and mood. The diagnosis becomes one of the character’s most important personal storylines.

Thirteen’s mother died from Huntington’s disease, and the show explores her fear of developing symptoms and passing the condition to a child. Her choices are presented alongside the medical uncertainty and emotional burden of knowing a genetic risk in advance.

Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation in the HTT gene and is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. The character’s illness is sometimes confused with a temporary diagnosis from one of the show’s case-of-the-week plots, but Huntington’s is Thirteen’s long-term inherited condition.