The experts are shocked when Michael presents them with the case notes for the first of this week’s patients. 64-year-old army veteran Neil has been living with a devastating skin condition since 2016. His body is covered in a painful rash that itches so intensely he has scratched the top layer of his skin off. The large open sores are prone to infection, and Neil was recently found unconscious at home and rushed to hospital with sepsis. No longer able to work, and confined to his home, Neil is struggling to see a future.

Neil’s case is severe, and the team all agree that without a successful diagnosis and treatment, he could die. Three theories emerge from their discussions. Consultant dermatologist Dr Sharon Wong wants to explore the possibility of a severe allergic reaction or type of eczema but needs to understand why he has so far failed to respond well to eczema treatments. Haematologist Professor John Gribben wants to investigate a possible blood cancer, and there is also a concern that a previous kidney cancer may have returned.

While Neil undergoes a series of urgent scans and tests, the team are also challenged to help 35-year-old nursing assistant Katie. In the last 18 months, Katie has lost four and a half stone, and after tests revealed that her stomach was not emptying properly, she has been fitted with a variety of feeding tubes.

The experts initially come up with two very different theories about what could be causing all of Katie’s problems. Consultant rheumatologist Dr Stephanie Barrett wants to assess her for a rare condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which weakens the body’s connective tissues. There are no decisive tests for this condition, so she has to carefully examine Katie and then cross-check her observations against past cases from medical journals. Meanwhile, consultant endocrinologist Dr Barbara McGowan wants to rule out multiple endocrine neoplasia, or MEN, a very rare genetic condition caused by benign tumours across multiple glands. It is a long shot, and not a diagnosis that Dr McGowan is expecting to make, but when she examines Katie and notices a suspicious lesion on her skin, her concerns grow. To find out once and for all what is causing her debilitating symptoms, Katie is sent for some key blood tests. Show less