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Table 1 Features of the patients’ diagnosis of Whipple’s disease after tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist initiation

From: Whipple’s disease diagnosed during anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment: two case reports and review of the literature

Authors / country / language of publication

Age / sex

Underlying disease previous WD diagnosis / time with that diagnosis

TNF-α drugs and immunosuppressive treatment

Start of acute symptoms after TNF-α blockade

Symptoms after TNF-α blockade

Organ involvement

Histological diagnosisa

Result of PCR for Tropheryma whipplei

Treatment for WD

Outcome

Kneitz et al. (2005) [4] / Germany / English

34y / M

SD

Methotrexate + infliximab (2w)

2w

Weight loss, erythema nodosum, diarrhea, lymph node enlargement, and a sigmoidovesical fistula

Skin, gastroduodenitis and sigmoidovesical

Positive in fistula and lymph nodes

Positive in lymph node, small bowel and sigmoidovesical fistula

SXT (12m)

Resolved within 1 year

Kremer et al. (2008) [7] / Germany / German

47y / M

SA / 4y

Leflunomide + adalimumab

 

Fever, weight loss, and severe arthralgia

 

Positive in duodenal tissue

Positive in duodenal tissue

SXT

 

Spoerl et al. (2009) [5] / Switzerland / English

64y / M

SA / 5 + 3y

Etanercept

4m

Lethargy, night sweats, weight loss

Gastrointestinal and vertebral

Positive in duodenal tissue and vertebral tissue

Positive in gastric and vertebral tissue

Ceftriaxone (2w), then, SXT (2y), (12m) then doxycycline + HC (18m)

No relapses after 34-month follow-up

Ahmadi-Simab et al. (2009) [8] / Germany / German

33y / F

AS / 8y

Etanercept

12m

Diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss

 

Negative in duodenal tissue

Positive in duodenal biopsy

Ceftriaxone (2w) after SXT

 

Hoppé et al. (2010) [6] / France / English

67y / F

SA / 7y

Infliximab (4m)

4m

Chest pain, dyspnea, polyarthritis

 

Positive in duodenal tissue

Positive in duodenal tissue. Negative in blood and saliva

Ceftriaxone (2w), then doxycycline (24m)

Resolved within 15d. No relapses after 71-month follow-up

Hoppé et al. (2010) [6] / France / English

40y / M

AS / 1y

Infliximab (18m) then etanercept (7m) then adalimumab (1m)

26m

Diarrhea, weight loss, fever, arthralgia

Widespread ileocolitis, gastroduodenitis, meningitis

Positive in duodenal tissue

Positive in saliva, feces and cerebrospinal fluid. Negative in blood

Doxycycline, HC, and SXT (15d), then SXT was replaced by sulfasalazine 4g/day

Resolved within 2 months. No relapses after 17-month follow-up

Hoppé et al. (2010) [6] / France / English

60y / M

AS / 8y

Etanercept (9m)

9m

Fever, night sweats, polyarthritis, chest pain

Pericarditis, mediastinal and abdominal lymphadenopathy, duodenitis

Negative in duodenal tissue

Positive in the duodenal sample, saliva, feces, and lymph nodes

Doxycycline + HC (15m)

Resolved within 7d. No relapses after 30-month follow-up

Hoppé et al. (2010) [6] / France / English

47y / M

RA / 17y

Infliximab (36m), then etanercept (42m), then adalimumab (6m), then rituximab, abatacept then infliximab (1m)

85m

Fever, night sweats, weight loss, polyarthritis, radio carpal arthropathy. transient diplopia, myalgia, subacute depression

Pericarditis, abdominal lymphadenopathy, duodenitis

 

Positive PCR assay in the duodenal sample, blood, saliva, and feces. Negative PCR assay in cerebrospinal fluid

Doxycycline + HC (UT)

Resolved within 2m No relapses after 15-month follow-up

Hoppé et al. (2010) [6] / France / English

38y / M

AS / 9y

Etanercept (2m)

9m

Diarrhea, abdominal pain. weight loss, blurred vision

Hemorrhagic gastroduodenitis, hemorrhagic colitis, mediastinal and cervical lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, meningitis

Positive in duodenum and colon

Positive PCR assay in blood, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, and feces

Doxycycline 200mg/day. HC 600mg/day. (UT)

Resolved within 3w. No relapses after 13-month follow-up

Hmamouchi et al. (2010) [9] / France / English

35y / M

AS / 4y

Etanercept

4m

Gingival nodule, purpura, abdominal pain diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss

Gingiva and colitis

Positive in colon tissue

Positive in blood, stool, and cerebrospinal fluid

SXT (NR)

Resolved within 3 months

Daïen et al. (2010) [10] / France / English

70y / M

SA / 27y

Etanercept (18m)

NR

Fever and dyspnea

Endocarditis of aortic valve

Negative in duodenal tissue and, aortic valve

Positive in aortic valve

Doxycycline HC + SXT (18m)

Resolved. No relapses after 21-month follow-up

Gaddy et al., (2012) [12] / USA / English

46y / M

AS / 10y

Prednisone + MTX + infliximab (24m), then adalimumab

24m

Fever, migratory arthritis, weight loss, diarrhea

Gastroenteritis

Positive in duodenal tissue

Positive in blood and duodenal tissue

Ceftriaxone (x2w) after SXT

NR

Sparsa et al. (2013) [11] / France / French

53y / M

SA

Etanercept (3m), then adalimumab (6m)

9m

Polyarthralgia peripheric, arthritis metarsophalangeal

 

Positive in duodenal tissue biopsy

Positive in saliva and duodenal tissue

Doxycycline + HC (18m)

Resolved within 3 weeks. No relapses after 18-month follow-up

Sparsa et al. (2013) [11] / France / French

42y / M

SA / 2m

Adalimumab (9m) and then etanercept (4m)

13m

Polyarthralgia peripheric

 

Positive in duodenal and gastric tissue

Positive in saliva and duodenal tissue

Doxycycline + HC and then doxycycline alone

Resolved within 3 weeks. No relapses after 17- month follow-up

Present report

58y / M

Psoriatic spondyloarthropathy/ 14y

Adalimumab (4m), then etanercept (8m), infliximab (2m), tocilizumab (21m), golimumab (1m)

36m

Abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss

Duodenitis and abdominal lymph nodes

Positive in duodenal tissue

Not done

Ceftriaxone (14d), then SXT during (UT)

Resolved within 3 weeks. No relapses after 9-month follow-up.

Present report

78y / M

RA / 19y

Infliximab (6m), etanercept (6m), rituximab (3m), leflunomide (24m)

24m

Abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss

Duodenitis, and pericardial effusion

Positive in duodenal tissue

Positive in duodenal biopsy. Negative in cerebrospinal fluid

Ceftriaxone (14d), then SXT for (12m) then doxycycline + HC

Resolved within 3 weeks. No relapses after 18-month follow-up

  1. (UT) Patient still under treatment
  2. TNF-α tumor necrosis factor alpha, WD Whipple’s disease, PCR polymerase chain reaction, y year, SD Still’s disease, w week, SXT cotrimoxazole, m month, SA spondyloarthropathy (seronegative chronic polyarthritis), HC hydroxychlorochine, AS ankylosis spondylitis, RA rheumatoid arthritis, NR not reported, MTX methotrexate
  3. aHistological diagnosis = intracellular bacilli on periodic acid–Schiff stain