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Whipple disease is a rare disease that happens due to bacterial infection. This bacterial infection leads to inadequate absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) from the intestine. Whipple disease affects more males than females. The rare ailment affects population between thirty and sixty years.

The rare disease is believed to result from infection with bacteria known as Tropheryma whippelii. The infection usually affects small intestine, but over time, the disease may affect different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, brain, and eyes.

Abdominal pain after eating, joint pain, bouts of diarrhea, cough, chest pain, general weakness, and night sweats are symptoms of Whipple disease. Typically there is fat present in the stool (steatorrhea). Weight loss may occur because of a profound lack of appetite (anorexia). Anemia may result due to insufficient levels of iron, and pain may occur in several widely scattered joints (polyarthritis).

Whipple disease is caused by a rod-shaped bacterium called Tropheryma whippelii. This bacterium was first identified in 1991/92. Its natural habitats are unknown, but it appears likely that infection occurs by way of an environmental source and that the bacteria are introduced into the body through the mouth (peroral).

The age range of those affected is thought to be between 30 and 80, with the median age at time of diagnosis being 56 years. Most of the cases of Whipple disease have been diagnosed among Europeans and Americans of European parentage.

In Germany, Whipple disease incidence has been estimated at 0.4 per million population per year. A few cases have been reported among American Indians and Americans of African descent. In 2004, for the first time, a case of Whipple disease was reported in Japan.