Whipple's disease: Rare case of malabsorption with hyperpigmentation in a female

Abstract

Whipple's disease is a multisystem disorder and responds well to antibiotic therapy if treated timely. It is seen in the fourth to fifth decades of life with a male to female ratio of 10:1. It mainly affects the intestine, the central nervous system, and joints. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first case of duodenal Whipple's disease in an Indian female, who presented with hyperpigmentation and chronic diarrhea with malabsorption. Whipple's disease was diagnosed based on specific upper GI endoscopic and histopathology findings.

Keywords: Malabsorption; Whipple's disease; periodic acid-schiff (PAS); skin hyper pigmentation; upper GI endoscopy.