Whipple’s disease is caused by small bowel colonization of Tropheryma whippelii. It is a rare, systemic infectious disease and primarily causes malabsorption. It can affect any part of the body including the heart, lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. When recognized and treated, Whipple’s disease can usually be cured with long-term antibiotic therapy; untreated the disease is ultimately fatal.
Overhead radiograph from small bowel follow-through shows thickened, nodular folds in the proximal and mid small bowel.
Some of its symptoms are:
- Arthralgias or a migratory, non-deforming Arthritis
- Malabsorption
- Intestinal lipodystrophy
- Lymphadenopathy
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Melanoderma
- Neurological symptoms
: Radiology: Diagnosis-Imaging-Intervention. Philadelphia, JB Lippincott, 1993, pp 1-17.)”]
It can be diagnosed through endoscopy of the duodenum and jejunum, which can reveal pale yellow shaggy mucosa with erythematous eroded patches in patients with classic intestinal Whipple’s disease, and small bowel X-rays may show some thickened folds.
Treatment is with penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline or co-trimoxazole for 1 –2 years.
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