Whipple's disease

external

• Synonyms

  • Whipple disease
  • intestinal lipodystrophy

• Causes

  • Tropheryma whippelii
  • Male gender
  • Defective T-cell function

• Effects

  • Malabsorption state
  • Diarrhoea
  • Arthralgia
  • Fingernail clubbing
  • Uveitis
  • Central scotoma
  • Papilloedema
  • Facial myoclonus
  • Oculomasticatory myoarrhythmia
  • Ascites
  • Bacterial pericarditis
  • Bacterial meningitis
  • Infective endocarditis
  • Hypothalamic syndrome
  • Subtotal villous atrophy
  • Protein-losing enteropathy
  • Secondary amyloidosis
  • Impaired vertical saccades
  • Chorea
  • Chronic abdominal pain
  • Early onset dementia
  • Generalised lymphadenopathy
  • Generalised hyperpigmentation

• Parents

  • Lower gastrointestinal pathology

• Treatments

  • Doxycycline
  • Hydroxychloroquine

• Description

  • "<500 case reports worldwide Infection with bacterium Tropheryma whippeli (actinomycetes) Treatment: Doxycycline with hydroxychloroquine for x 1 yr Shorter treatment = relapse rate of 40%. Untreated = fatal "