PRESUMED CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM WHIPPLES-DISEASE IN A CHILD - CASE-REPORT

Whipple's disease is a rare, chronic, multisystem illness that is path ologically characterized by the accumulation of macrophages in the inv olved tissue that have a positive periodic acid-Schiff reaction. It is typically seen in middle-aged white men, and only four cases involvin g persons younger than 15 years of age have been reported. CNS Whipple 's disease without intestinal manifestations is rare; only six cases h ave been reported in the literature, all involving adults. We report t he case of a young boy with clinical, laboratory, radiographic, and pa thological signs and symptoms consistent with CNS Whipple's disease wh o responded to therapy with trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole.