Prevalence and Incidence of Whipple's Disease

Contents

Whipple's Disease: Rare Disease

Whipple's Disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Whipple's Disease, or a subtype of Whipple's Disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.

Whipple's Disease Prevalence: Book Excerpts

Prevalence/Incidence of Whipple's Disease: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the prevalence and/or incidence of Whipple's Disease.

Celiac disease: Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

In celiac disease, an intramucosal enzyme defect produces an inability to digest gluten. Resulting tissue toxicity produces rapid cell turnover, increases epithelial lymphocytes, and damages surface epithelium of the small bowel.

Celiac disease affects 1 of every 133 people in the United States and results from environmental factors and a genetic predisposition, but the exact mechanism is unknown. A strong association exists between the disease and two human leukocyte antigen haplotypes, DR3 and DQw2. It may also be autoimmune in nature. It affects twice as many females as males and occurs more commonly among relatives, especially siblings. This disease primarily affects whites and those of European ancestry.

Many diseases and conditions are associated with celiac disease, including:

❑ anemia

❑ lactose intolerance

❑ skin disorders such as dermatitis herpetiformis (a burning, itching, blistering rash)

❑ type 1 diabetes mellitus

❑ thyroid disease

❑ Down syndrome

❑ unexplained infertility or miscarriage

❑ osteoporosis or osteopenia

❑ autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

Secondary polycythemia: Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Secondary polycythemia may result from increased production of erythropoietin. This hormone, which is possibly produced and secreted in the kidneys, stimulates bone marrow production of RBCs. Increased production may be a compensatory physiologic response to hypoxemia, which may result from:

❑ chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

❑ hemoglobin (Hb) abnormalities (such as carboxyhemoglobinemia, which is seen in heavy smokers)

❑ heart failure (causing a decreased ventilation-perfusion ratio)

❑ right-to-left shunting of blood in the heart (as in transposition of the great vessels)

❑ central or peripheral alveolar hypoventilation (as in barbiturate intoxication or pickwickian syndrome)

❑ low oxygen content at high altitudes.

Increased production of erythropoietin may also be an inappropriate (pathologic) response to renal disease (such as renal vascular impairment, renal cysts, or hydronephrosis), to central nervous system disease (such as encephalitis and parkinsonism), to neoplasms (such as renal tumors, uterine myomas, or cerebellar hemangiomas), or to endocrine disorders (such as Cushing’s syndrome, Bartter’s syndrome, or pheochromocytomas). Rarely, secondary polycythemia results from a recessive genetic trait.

Secondary polycythemia occurs in approximately 2 out of every 100,000 people living at or near sea level; incidence rises among those living at high altitudes.

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Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005

About prevalence and incidence statistics:

The term 'prevalence' of Whipple's Disease usually refers to the estimated population of people who are managing Whipple's Disease at any given time. The term 'incidence' of Whipple's Disease refers to the annual diagnosis rate, or the number of new cases of Whipple's Disease diagnosed each year. Hence, these two statistics types can differ: a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence, but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence. For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.