Outline
What is it?
Relapsing Polychondritis(RP) is a rare, recurring disease that causes pain and inflammation in different tissues of the body, more commonly in the cartilage. This disease can occur to people of all ages, but most cases are seen to commence in adults in the 40-60 age range. The effects of RP seem to vary from person to person, and the intensity and frequency depends on the case. What is known thus far is that RP is autoimmune disease, meaning the body’s natural defenses work to act against antibodies that are deemed foreign, but instead attempt to attack healthy tissue.
Symptoms
One of the most common symptoms that are experienced in Relapsing Polychondritis are directly affected to the cartilage (flexible and firm tissues) in your body. Patients may suffer from pain, irritation or swelling in the ear area as well as other joints. Other commonly affected body areas may be the ribs, fingers, shoulders, nose and ankles.
Apart from exterior physical inflammation, there may also be room for interior complications. Some patients may report trouble breathing, swallowing or speaking; pain and inflammation in the respiratory tract or throat areas.
It is important to note that patients that experience these symptoms may also be prone to obtaining/ already having conditions such as Ankylosing Spondylitis or Vasculitis, which are both also categorized as inflammatory diseases. .
Cause
The causes of Relapsing Polychondritis are still relatively unknown to researchers, but they are skeptical that the disease could be a genetically contracted disease. RP may also have correlations or connected to other similar diseases, and could be contacted from either.
As of yet, it is considered an autoimmune disease, but symptoms may be heavily affected and impacted from the outside environment and other mental/emotional complications.
Treatments
Medication would immediately be prescribed. Some of the most common and effective of them would be of the Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug sort, for example: corticosteroids (prednisone), immunosuppressive drugs or dapose specifically made for RP. While these drugs may not permanently get rid of this disease, they will work to reduce or improve the experienced symptoms, or to lessen the overall impact.
In cases where Relapsing Polychondritis is a threat to the patient’s respiratory system and general quality of life, surgery would likely be conducted in order to prevent the narrowing or collapsing of the trachea.
Diagnosis
Initially, the doctor will examine the experienced symptoms and develop a prognosis based on the patterns and/or correlations. Signs of arthritis or inflammation would likely be considered, and in some cases, tissue examinations would be performed (extracting a small sample of body tissue for examination, also known as a biopsy).
Generally, the diagnosis of Relapsing Polychondritis will be followed through with if the examiner observes at least three, timely-developed symptoms:
Inflammation/ damage to the cartilage, specifically in the ears
Painful swelling or inflammation to multiple joints
Respiratory complications, such as difficulty in breathing, swallowing or talking
Damage to the cartilage in the respiratory tract
Trouble balancing/ decreased hearing
If three or more of the above conditions are present, RP will most likely be diagnosed.
Outlook
The long-term effects of Relapsing Polychondritis would certainly vary from person to person. However, if the disease is not properly diagnosed or tended to, the condition of the patient will most likely worsen over time. In the later signs of the condition, it is common to notice hearing loss, balancing complications and may even go as far as to develop lung diseases.
With the education of the symptoms and correlation Relapsing Polychondritis has to other diseases, the impact of this condition could likely lessen for future generations.
Learn more about the progress of finding the cure of RP.
Sources
“Relapsing Polychondritis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/relapsing-polychondritis-facts.
“Relapsing Polychondritis.” NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), 19 Sept. 2018, rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/relapsing-polychondritis/# The exact cause of relapsing,healthy tissue for unknown reasons.
Relapsing Polychondritis By Alana M. Nevares, et al. “Relapsing Polychondritis - Bone, Joint, and Muscle Disorders.” Merck Manuals Consumer Version, Merck Manuals, www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/home/bone,-joint,-and-muscle-disorders/autoimmune-disorders-of-connective-tissue/relapsing-polychondritis.
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