WHIPPLES DISEASE AND ITS HOMEOPATHY MANAGEMENT……
WHIPPLES DISEASE
The case centered on a man who had problems with weight loss, arthritis, chronic cough, and fever. More than a century later, doctors still don’t know much about the disease, but they do have ways to treat it.
Whipple’s disease is a bacterial infection. The bacteria usually affect your digestive system, especially your small intestine, but they can cause problems in other parts of your body, too, like your heart, joints, lungs, eyes, and immune system. And up to 40% of people with Whipple’s disease also have issues related to their nervous system, which includes your brain, spinal cord, and the network of nerves that run throughout your body.
If it’s not treated, Whipple’s disease can be life-threatening in a short amount of time.
CAUSES:::
TYPES:::
- Classic Whipple Disease: This type involves inflammation and destruction of multiple organs including the small intestine, heart, lungs, joints and central nervous system. Symptoms can range from gastrointestinal issues to neurological problems such as dementia or depression.
- Oculomucocutaneous Syndrome: This type affects primarily mucous membranes in the eyes (conjunctivitis), skin (dermatitis) and joints (arthritis). The most common symptom is ocular discharge, although it may also cause pain in multiple joints or sensitivity to light exposure.
- Neurological Form: This type primarily affects neurological symptoms such as memory loss, confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding speech due to encephalopathy in the brain caused by Tropheryma whipplei bacteria taking up residence there.
CLINICAL MANIFESTATION….
Asymptomatic Colonization-The prevalence of fecal carriage is high in individuals with exposure to wastewater or sewage, and they are carriers for the disease without exhibiting any symptoms.
Acute infection- Acute gastroenteritis is common in children and manifest as fever and diarrhea.
Chronic infection-
Classic whipple’s disease- involves joints (arthralgia), CNS (dementia and seizures), intestine (malabsorption, diarrhea, steatorrhea, weight loss).
Neurological- The most common are cognitive changes progressing to dementia, personality and mood alterations, hypothalamic involvement, and supranuclear ophthalmoplegia. Supranuclear gaze palsy, oculomasticatory and oculofacial myorhythmia (highly suggestive of Whipple’s), and nystagmus is also seen.
Cardiac- Endocarditis, valve defects.
Pulmonary-interstitial disease, nodules, parenchymal infiltrate, and pleural effusion may be seen.
SYMPTOMS:::
Whipple’s disease can affect how you digest food and take in nutrients. It can make you weak and tired and lead to:
- Belly pain
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Dark spots on your skin
- Joint pain
- Loss of muscle control
- Confusion and memory loss
- Seizures
- Vision problems
- some people, Whipple's disease can cause coughing, fever, and chest pain.
- Whipple disease can be prevented by regularly practising good hygiene, practising safe sex, and eating a healthy diet.
- Wash hands often with soap and water, avoid contact with anyone who has an infection, avoid sharing food items, utensils and other personal items.
- Eating a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains can boost immune system strength and reduce your risk of developing Whipple disease.
- Hepatitis A and B vaccinations should also be taken to reduce the chances of contracting the bacteria that cause Whipple disease.
- Nervous system complications:Cognitive decline, Seizures, Weakness, Memory loss and Tremors.
- Gastrointestinal complications:Abdominal pain, Diarrhoea, Loss of appetite and Malnutrition.
- Respiratory complications:Difficulty breathing and Chronic cough.
- Cardiac complications:Cardiac arrhythmia and Congestive heart failure.
- Rheumatic complications:Joint pain and Arthritis.
- In Whipple disease, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is important in helping to manage the symptoms, strengthen the immune system, and improve overall health.
- Patients should focus on increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, whole grains, and healthy fats while avoiding processed foods and high-fat animal products.
- Additionally, it is also beneficial to incorporate dietary supplements such as probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids since these have been shown to reduce inflammation and provide other health benefits.
- Raw meats and seafood:Uncooked meat, poultry, and seafood should be avoided as they can potentially be sources of bacterial contamination like salmonella or E coli.
- Raw eggs:Foods such as mayonnaise and eggnog which contain uncooked eggs are also high risk for contamination and should not be eaten.
- Unpasteurized dairy products:Dairy products like raw milk can also contain T whipplei, so only pasteurised dairy products should be consumed.
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables:It is important to thoroughly wash all fresh produce before it is consumed as this can help reduce potential bacterial contamination from the soil or water where it was grown/cultivated.
- Drink freshly extracted juice of ginger, turmeric and garlic on an empty stomach.
- Consume cooked vegetable soups 2-3 times a day.
- Increase intake of food items rich in Vitamin B like wheat germ, bananas and potatoes.
- Take multi-vitamins and calcium which can be prescribed by an ayurvedic practitioner.
- Add honey to warm water and consume it twice a day for better immunity building results.
The appearance of Whipple disease’s characteristic intestinal lesions also assists in its diagnosis.
The best way to detect these lesions is to use an upper endoscopy to carry out a biopsy in the small intestine. During the procedure, a thin, flexible tube is passed through the mouth into the esophagus.
Endoscopic findings of Whipple disease include areas of thickened folds with a granular, yellow-white shaggy covering.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method has been used to highlight DNA unique to T. Whipplei in various tissue samples of patients with Whipple disease.
The PCR method can confirm a diagnosis of Whipple disease when the diagnosis cannot be confirmed histologically, or by looking at the tissue through a microscope. PCR is highly sensitive and specific and is useful in suspicious, inconclusive cases.
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