RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS

In this article, we report on a 40-year-old man with relapsing polycho ndritis (RP) of the tracheobronchial tree without clinical manifestati ons of other systems including nasal septum and earlobe cartilage invo lvement. The illness was diagnosed histologically, and treatment with procaine penicillin was successful. RP is an unusual systemic disorder characterized by widespread inflammation and destruction of cartilage tissues. The main cause is usually autoimmune. In RP various clinical manifestations including nasal chondritis, arthritis, scleritis, dama ge to tracheal and bronchial cartilage, and aortic, cardiac, and renal involvement may occur. Isolated tracheobronchial involve ment is very rare. The diagnosis must be based on a combination of clinical and pa thologic features. If diagnosed early, appropriate treatment may preve nt life-threatening airway obstruction.