Whipple's Disease in Older Adults

Abstract

Maria Eugenia Portilla Franco, Luis Tejedor López, Antonio Medina Nieto, Elena Navarrete García and Javier Gómez Pavón

Background: Whipple’s disease is a rare disease that has been described as a multisystem infectious disorder caused by Thropheryma whipplei, and characterized by joint problems, weight loss, diarrhea, and other symptoms that can clinically overlap with rheumatic diseases.

Case presentation: We present the case of an 85-year-old man with long story of poliartralgias treated with corticosteroids, admitted to the hospital with severe symptomatic anemia. A gastroscopy study was made as part of the study. which showed intestinal edema and PAS postivioe as a sing of WD.

Conclusions: WD should be considered in all patients with joint symptoms, chronic diarrhea and weight loss, particularly in males of European ancestry, and those with rheumatoid factor negative migratory poliarthritis that does not respond to immunosuppressive therapy [1].

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