title: Tumoural form of Whipple's disease simulating carcinomatosis.
abstract: Whipple's disease is a rare disease caused by the actinomycete bacteria Tropheryma whipplei, which cause intestinal infection. The most common symptoms are chronic diarrhoea, weight loss, abdominal pain, arthritis and neurological abnormalities, which can be fatal. This paper reports a case of a 57-year-old Brazilian woman with diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, appetite loss, intermittent fever, malaise, weight loss and malnutrition. Migratory polyarthralgia and recurrent visual scotomas preceded the symptoms. The retroperitoneal pseudotumour formation finding was associated with prolonged wasting syndrome, which did not respond to usual therapies, thus leading to the investigation of carcinomatosis disease. After laparotomy, biopsy and histochemical study of the lesions with negative results for malignancy, we proceeded to the investigation of Whipple's disease, which was then confirmed. The patient improved clinically and started gaining weight after using ceftriaxone (IV).
authors.affiliation: Residente em Clínica Médica do Hospital Márcio Cunha (FSFX), Ipatinga, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jamille Hemétrio Salles Martins
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Residente em Clínica Médica do Hospital Márcio Cunha (FSFX), Ipatinga, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Bussinger
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Maciel
authors.affiliation: Residente em Clínica Médica do Hospital Márcio Cunha (FSFX), Ipatinga, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Matheus de Navarro Guimarães
authors.initials: Mde N
authors.lastname: Godinho
authors.affiliation: Graduanda em Medicina, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafaela Brito de
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Paula
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina do Vale do Aço, Ipatinga, MG, Brazil; IPEN/USP, Brazil. Electronic address: danielriani@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Daniel Riani
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gotardelo
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D054851:Tropheryma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008061:Whipple Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002443:Ceftriaxone
keywords: Carcinomatosis; Tropheryma whipplei; Whipple's disease