Whipple's disease

Not to be confused with Whipple's triad or Whipple procedure.
Whipple's disease
Low magnification micrograph of Whipple's disease showing the characteristic foamy appearing infiltrate of the lamina propria. Duodenal biopsy. H&E stain.
SpecialtyGastroenterology 

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 as a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes malabsorption, but may affect any part of the human body, including the heart, brain, joints, skin, lungs and the eyes.[1] Weight loss, diarrhea, joint pain, and arthritis are common presenting symptoms, but the presentation can be highly variable in certain individuals, and about 15% of patients do not have the standard signs and symptoms.[2]

Whipple's disease is significantly more common in men, with 87% of patients diagnosed being male.[3] When recognized and treated, Whipple's disease can usually be cured with long-term antibiotic therapy, but if the disease is left undiagnosed or untreated, it can ultimately be fatal.[3][4]

  1. ^ Whipple, G. H. (1907). "A hitherto undescribed disease characterized anatomically by deposits of fat and fatty acids in the intestinal and mesenteric lymphatic tissues". Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. 18: 382–93.
  2. ^ Bai JC, Mazure RM, Vazquez H (October 2004). "Whipple's disease". Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2 (10): 849–60. doi:10.1016/S1542-3565(04)00387-8. PMID 15476147.
  3. ^ a b Fenollar F, Puéchal X, Raoult D (January 2007). "Whipple's disease". New England Journal of Medicine. 356 (1): 55–66. doi:10.1056/NEJMra062477. PMID 17202456.
  4. ^ Phillips, Michael M (2022), Whipple disease, A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia: A.D.A.M., retrieved 2024-08-19
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