Overview
Whipple disease is a rare infection caused by bacteria that keeps food from being digested well. It affects the breakdown of food and keeps the body from taking in nutrients.
Whipple disease most often affects the joints and digestive system. The bacteria that cause Whipple disease also can infect other organs, including the brain, heart and eyes.
Without treatment, Whipple disease can be serious or even deadly. But antibiotics can treat Whipple disease.
Small intestine lining
The small intestine has a ridged lining covered with tiny structures that look like fingers. The structures are called villi.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of Whipple disease often include:
- Loose stools.
- Stomach cramping and pain, which may get worse after meals.
- Weight loss due to the body not taking in nutrients.
- Joint pain.
Joint pain may be one of the first symptoms of Whipple disease. Digestive symptoms often don't start until later.
Other symptoms linked with Whipple disease include:
- Fever.
- Cough.
- Large lymph nodes.
- Darker skin in scars and in areas that get sun. Skin darkening may be harder to see on Black or brown skin.
- Chest pain.
- Tiredness.
- Weakness.
- Anemia, which means not having enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body.
Brain and nervous system symptoms, also called neurological symptoms, may include:
- Trouble walking.
- Vision issues, including not being able to control eye movements.
- Confusion.
- Memory loss.
Symptoms tend to happen slowly over years in most people with this condition. In some people, symptoms such as joint pain and weight loss happen years before the digestive symptoms that lead to diagnosis.
When to see a doctor
Whipple disease can be life-threatening, but most often it's treatable. Call your healthcare professional if you are losing weight without trying or have joint pain.
Causes
A type of bacterium called Tropheryma whipplei causes Whipple disease. These germs affect the lining of the small intestine first. They form small sores, also called lesions, in the wall of the intestine. The bacteria also harm the fine, hairlike structures called villi that line the small intestine.
Experts don't know how the bacteria spread to humans. Not all people exposed to the bacteria get Whipple disease. Some researchers believe that people with the condition may have genetic change that affects their immune system and makes them more likely to get sick from the bacteria.
Risk factors
Because experts know so little about the bacteria that cause Whipple disease, there are no clear risk factors for the condition. Whipple disease seems to be more likely to affect:
- Men ages 30 to 60.
- White people in North America and Europe.
- People who work with or near soil or animals, such as farmers and other people who work outdoors and often are near sewage and wastewater.
Complications
Whipple disease gets worse over time. It can be deadly. Late diagnosis and treatment can cause the infection to spread to the central nervous system, which can cause lasting harm.
