A case of relapsing polychondritis with auricular, nasal and thyroid chondritis

Abstract

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a progressive, recurrent and intractable inflammatory disease of the systemic cartilage that is considered to be an autoimmune disease. Cartilage of the ear, nose, larynx and trachea are mainly affected, and airway involvement can be life-threatening. We herein report a 47-year-old woman with RP. She had auricular, nasal and thyroid chondritis. She had a medical history of cause-unknown stomatitis and vulva ulcer. Since her condition did not improve with high-dose administration of steroids, she was administered immunosuppressants, which successfully controlled her condition. When RP is uncontrollable with steroids, immunosuppressants are indispensable. Since most RP cases with airway involvement are steroid-resistant, combination therapy of immunosuppressants and steroids is recommended for such RP patients.