[Whipple's disease in an elderly person (author's transl)].

A case report is given of a 73 years old woman suffering from Whipple's disease. Intermittant polyarthralgias, diarrhea, weight loss and laboratory signs of malabsorption had been present for 6 years, when diagnosis was established by biopsy: pathognomonic PAS-positive macrophages were demonstrated in the duodenal mucosa. A complete remission of the disease could be achieved after 100 mg of doxycycline had been administered continuously for a year. Some special details of the course of Whipple's disease in the higher age group are discussed.