gastrointestinal disorders
Whipple Disease
Symptoms and Signs of Whipple Disease
Clinical presentation varies depending on the organ systems affected. The four cardinal symptoms of Whipple disease are Arthralgia Diarrhea Abdominal pain Weight loss Usually, the first symptoms are arthralgia and fever. Intestinal symptoms (eg, watery diarrhea, steatorrhea, abdominal pain, anorexia, weight loss) usually manifest later, sometimes years after the initial complaint. Gross or occult intestinal bleeding may occur. Severe malabsorption may be present in patients diagnosed late in the clinical course. Other findings include increased skin pigmentation, anemia, lymphadenopathy, chronic cough, serositis, peripheral edema, and central nervous system symptoms. 