Whipple’s Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Authors

  • Vincenzo De Francesco Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medical Sciences, Foggia
  • Fabrizio Corsi Department of Pathology, University of Foggia, Foggia
  • Antonio Pennella Department of Pathology, University of Foggia, Foggia
  • Annamaria Bellesia Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medical Sciences, Foggia
  • Giulia Fiorini Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Bologna
  • Dino Vaira Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Bologna
  • Angelo Zullo Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, ‘Nuovo Regina Margherita’ Hospital, Rome, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.273.fra

Keywords:

Whipple’s disease, Tropherima whipplei, endoscopy, gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Whipple’s disease (WD) is known as an infrequent, systemic, chronic infection caused by the actinomycete Tropherima whipplei (T. whipplei). The disease is frequently characterized by a long prodromal and protean extra-intestinal phase, which often causes misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatments. Herein, we describe the case a 62-year-old man with a histological diagnosis of WD established when oral steroid treatment was started due to rheumatic manifestations, triggering intestinal symptoms. Systematic review of the literature was performed to include studies where WD was eventually diagnosed on duodenal biopsies. Three patients’ subgroups were identified according to the clinical presentation.

September 2018, volume 27, issue 3

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Published

2018-09-30

How to Cite

1.
Francesco VD, Corsi F, Pennella A, Bellesia A, Fiorini G, Vaira D, Zullo A. Whipple’s Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature. JGLD [Internet]. 2018 Sep. 30 [cited 2026 Jun. 15];27(3):331-6. Available from: https://jgld.ro/jgld/index.php/jgld/article/view/73

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 3: September 2018

Section

Case Reports