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

INTRODUCTION: Whipple’s disease is a rare infectious disease caused by Tropheryma whipplei with protean clinical manifestations. This infection may mimic chronic inflammatory rheumatisms. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of Whipple’s disease diagnosed in the context of an inflammatory disease with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha failure. The first patient was a 58-year-old white man with psoriatic spondylarthritis, who was treated with adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, tocilizumab and golimumab. The second was a 73-year-old white man with rheumatoid arthritis, who received treatment with infliximab, then etanercept and rituximab. CONCLUSIONS: Whipple’s disease should be suspected in all patients diagnosed with chronic inflammatory rheumatism, partially controlled or not controlled by treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha blockers, whose condition worsens after treatment.