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Whipple's disease - Symptom

Alternative Names

Intestinal lipodystrophy

Symptoms:

Symptoms usually start slowly, and may include:

Signs and tests:

Possible signs:

Enlarged lymph glands
Fatty stools
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Swelling in body tissues (edema)

Tests may include:

Viewing the intestine with a flexible, lighted tube (enteroscopy), and possibly removing a small amount of intestinal lining (biopsy) to be examined under the microscope
Complete blood count (CBC)

This disease may also change the results of the following tests:

Albumin
Unabsorbed fat in the stools (fecal fat)
Intestinal absorption of a type of sugar (d-xylose absorption)

Reviewed last on: 10/13/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

West SG. Systemic diseases in which arthritis is a feature. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 297.

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