Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast

About Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast

How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy? One you don’t recognize and didn’t see coming? What if that enemy was coming from within; a disease that even doctors couldn’t identify? Nearly half of all Americans suffer from some chronic illness and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis. Every other week on Symptomatic, host Lauren Bright Pacheco unravels the medical mystery of a patient’s baffling symptoms and explores how their lives were turned upside down in search of answers.  From the first signs of trouble, through a swirl of misdirection and failed treatment attempts, to the final relief at a confirmed diagnosis - these are their stories. This is Symptomatic. We want to hear from you! Tell us what you think of the show or share your own medical mystery by emailing us at Symptomatic@iHeartMedia.com (mailto:SymptomaticPod@gmail.com).

Publisher

iHeartPodcasts

Category

health & fitness · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Sept 2022

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

5 of 49 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Case #34: Brendon

   Host Dr. ZDoggMD interviews patient Brendon Paradis about his decades-long struggle with a mysterious retinal condition and the urgent race to save his son's vision.

2. 

   15 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Symptomatic is back with Season 5!

   Host Lauren Bright Pacheco launches Season 5 of Symptomatic, unveiling new medical mysteries where patients and doctors become heroes.

3. 

   23 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Case #33 Phoebe

   Sarah Marshall knew from only a few months into her fourth daughter Phoebe's life that something was definitely wrong. By the time Phoebe was six, Sarah began to fear for her daughter's life. She underwent countless tests, dozens of surgeries, and was in and out of the hospital for years. Phoebe’s health was declining and no one could tell their family what was wrong. Desperate for answers and unwilling to give up on her daughter, Sarah contacted the Undiagnosed Diseases Network - a decision that would change their lives forever. We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com (mailto:Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com) or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic (https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic). DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content. * * * * * * ****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ****** You can find more information about the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation at https://udnf.org/ (https://udnf.org/). You can learn more about the Model Organisms Screening Centers (MOSC) and Dr. Hugo Bellen’s work at https://flypush.research.bcm.edu/lab/ (https://flypush.research.bcm.edu/lab/)See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Inside a recent episode

Case #34: Brendon

Published 22 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] If you have ROSA, do you have to have the manifestation of all of those things? That's a great question. Certainly no. The acronyms that come up are just what clinicians who see the first group of patients noticed and are unique and can help clinicians identify them. But certainly this is one of those diseases that's defined genetically. And so to have ROSA, what you need is what we've considered a disease-causing mutation in ALPK1. So with ALPK1-related diseases, can you just explain the receptors and bacterial sugar? So, yes, ALPK1 is this sensor for a piece of bacterial sugars. And we normally think that this inside a cell would sense when a bacteria is present and then it drives this inflammation downstream. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

596 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

204 ratings

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