CARDIOVASCULAR INVOLVEMENT IN RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS

Relapsing polychondritis is an inflammatory disease that characteristi cally involves cartilagenous tissues. Cardiovascular involvement is a fairly common complication and the second most frequent cause of morta lity in this disease. The case of a man with a progressive cardiac inv olvement, aortic incompetence, mitral regurgitation, and finally compl ete atrioventricular block offered the opportunity of reviewing the ca rdiovascular complications in relapsing polychondritis. The most frequ ent abnormalities are aortic regurgitation and aortic aneurysm. Furthe rmore, several cases of atrioventricular block, mitral regurgitation, and acute pericarditis have been reported, For early diagnosis and tre atment of these severe complications, periodic cardiovascular examinat ion is mandatory in these patients. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunder s Company.