Long-term morbidity and mortality in Whipple's disease: a single-centerexperience over 20years.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about long-term morbidity and mortality in Whipple's disease (WD). Aim: To describe morbidity and mortality in patients with WD on a long-term follow-up. Materials & methods: Comorbidities, mortality and causes of death were retrospectively registered. Results:A total of35 patients with WD (9F, 54±11years) were followed-up for a median of 104months. Nine patients developed ten complications; three patients died. A total of31 severe comorbidities apparently unrelated to WD were found in 20 patients: preneoplastic/neoplastic disorders in seven, thromboembolic and cardiovascular events in seven, pneumonia in four, candidiasis in ten patients. Conclusion: WD is frequently complicated by potentially life-threatening infectious, neoplastic and thromboembolic disorders, thus highlighting the need for a life-long multidisciplinary follow-up.