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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Whipple's disease is a rare bacterial infection that most often affects your gastrointestinal system. Whipple's disease interferes with normal digestion by impairing the breakdown of foods, such as fats and carbohydrates, and hampering your body's ability to absorb nutrients.
Whipple's disease also can infect other organs, including your brain, heart, joints and eyes.
Without proper treatment, Whipple's disease can be serious or fatal. However, a course of antibiotics can treat Whipple's disease.
References
- Whipple's disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/whipple/. Accessed July 17, 2012.
- Whipple disease. National Organization for Rare Disorders. http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/90/printFullReport. Accessed July 22, 2012.
- Black DF, et al. MP imaging of central nervous system Whipple disease: A 15-year review. American Journal of Neuroradiology. 2010;31:1493.
- McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6395. Accessed July 22, 2012.
- Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practices of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..001016&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=1334815881&uniqId=346690210-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00101-6. Accessed July 22, 2012.
- Bioterrorism and drug preparedness. Federal Drug Administration. http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=Plaquenil+side+effects&spell=1&client=FDAgov&site=FDAgov&lr=&proxystylesheet=FDAgov&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&access=p. Accessed July 22, 2012.
- Plaquenil. Physicians' Desk Reference. http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/plaquenil. Accessed July 22, 2012.
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