Whipple's disease is a rare, systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. First described by George Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and commonly considered a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes malabsorption but may affect any part of the body including the heart, lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. Weight loss, diarrhea, joint pain, and arthritis are common presenting symptoms, but the presentation can be highly variable.
This micrograph shows the typical findings of enlarged villus with abundant macrophages in the in small intestine.
Symptoms:
- Arthritis or arthralgia
- malabsorption
- intestinal lipodystrophy (accumulation of fatty deposits in lymph nodes of the intestine)
- lymphadenopathy
- abdominal pain
- diarrhea
- fever
- melanoderma
- Neurological symptoms
Treatment:
Treatment is with penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline or co-trimoxazole for 1 -2 years.
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