Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Polychondritis

Polychondritis is a auto-immune disease in which the human's body's immune system begins to attack and destroy the cartilage tissues in the body. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Arthritis
Arthritis
Bubonic plague
Hypokalemia
Pachydermoperiostosis
Pachygyria
Pacman syndrome
Paget's disease of bone
Paget's disease of the...
Palmoplantar Keratoderma
Pancreas divisum
Pancreatic cancer
Panhypopituitarism
Panic disorder
Panniculitis
Panophobia
Panthophobia
Papilledema
Paraganglioma
Paramyotonia congenita
Paraphilia
Paraplegia
Parapsoriasis
Parasitophobia
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonism
Paroxysmal nocturnal...
Patau syndrome
Patent ductus arteriosus
Pathophobia
Patterson...
Pediculosis
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic lipomatosis
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pendred syndrome
Periarteritis nodosa
Perinatal infections
Periodontal disease
Peripartum cardiomyopathy
Peripheral neuropathy
Peritonitis
Periventricular leukomalacia
Pernicious anemia
Perniosis
Persistent sexual arousal...
Pertussis
Pes planus
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Peyronie disease
Pfeiffer syndrome
Pharmacophobia
Phenylketonuria
Pheochromocytoma
Photosensitive epilepsy
Pica (disorder)
Pickardt syndrome
Pili multigemini
Pilonidal cyst
Pinta
PIRA
Pityriasis lichenoides...
Pityriasis lichenoides et...
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Placental abruption
Pleural effusion
Pleurisy
Pleuritis
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Pneumoconiosis
Pneumocystis jiroveci...
Pneumocystosis
Pneumonia, eosinophilic
Pneumothorax
POEMS syndrome
Poland syndrome
Poliomyelitis
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polyarthritis
Polychondritis
Polycystic kidney disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Polycythemia vera
Polydactyly
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyositis
Polyostotic fibrous...
Pompe's disease
Popliteal pterygium syndrome
Porencephaly
Porphyria
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Portal hypertension
Portal vein thrombosis
Post Polio syndrome
Post-traumatic stress...
Postural hypotension
Potophobia
Poxviridae disease
Prader-Willi syndrome
Precocious puberty
Preeclampsia
Premature aging
Premenstrual dysphoric...
Presbycusis
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Primary ciliary dyskinesia
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Primary lateral sclerosis
Primary progressive aphasia
Primary pulmonary...
Primary sclerosing...
Prinzmetal's variant angina
Proconvertin deficiency,...
Proctitis
Progeria
Progressive external...
Progressive multifocal...
Progressive supranuclear...
Prostatitis
Protein S deficiency
Protein-energy malnutrition
Proteus syndrome
Prune belly syndrome
Pseudocholinesterase...
Pseudogout
Pseudohermaphroditism
Pseudohypoparathyroidism
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
Pseudotumor cerebri
Pseudovaginal...
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Psittacosis
Psoriasis
Psychogenic polydipsia
Psychophysiologic Disorders
Pterygium
Ptosis
Pubic lice
Puerperal fever
Pulmonary alveolar...
Pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary sequestration
Pulmonary valve stenosis
Pulmonic stenosis
Pure red cell aplasia
Purpura
Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch
Purpura, thrombotic...
Pyelonephritis
Pyoderma gangrenosum
Pyomyositis
Pyrexiophobia
Pyrophobia
Pyropoikilocytosis
Pyrosis
Pyruvate kinase deficiency
Uveitis
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

All cartilage areas can be affected, though in many cases the disease will affect several areas where cartilage is found in the body, and leave others entirely alone. Parts of the body with cartilage, and therefore potentially affected by polychondritis, include the ears, nose, throat, heart valves and of course all areas where musculo-skeletal tissues are connected by carttilage.

Reasons for disease onset are not known. Treatment plans typically involve suppression of the immune system with pharmacological drugs, which often leave the side effect of increasing risk of other infections.

While the disease can come on at various times, most frequest time for onset is in the late 40's to early 50's. Some literature reports a slightly higher occurrence in females than males, while other literature asserts that sex is apparently not a statistically significant factor in the occurrence rate of the disease. Polychondritus is one of many subclasses of disease in the area of Rheumatology.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Relapsing polychondritis - Pathology Clinic
From Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 10/1/02 by Lester D.R. Thompson

Regardless of age, patients with relapsing polychondritis (systemic chondromalacia or polychondropathy) have at least one of eight progressively degenerative changes: (1) recurrent bilateral auricular chondritis, (2) inflammatory polyarthritis, (3) nasal chondritis, (4) ocular inflammation, (5) tracheal chondritis, (6) laryngeal chondritis, (7) cochlear damage, and (8) vestibular damage. Relapsing polychondritis is associated with other immunologically mediated diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren's syndrome.

Although gross findings are nonspecific, relapsing polychondritis is characterized by an overall thickening of the cartilage of the ear, nose, epiglottis, and cricoid and tracheal rings. The cartilage loses its basophilic quality (blue) and becomes more eosinophilic (red) as the disorder progresses. Fragmentation of the cartilage results in necrosis and lysis of the cartilaginous plates. The outer perichondrium (lining of cartilage) is permeated by a spectrum of inflammatory cells, including neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and plasma cells (figures 1 and 2); these changes are frequently associated with edema or gelatinous cystic degeneration. As the disease progresses, the degenerated fibrillar cartilage imperceptibly blends with the surrounding inflammatory cells, leading to the formation of granulation-type tissue and fibrosis.

In making a diagnosis, it is necessary to exclude other diseases, including sarcoidosis, infection (e.g., tuberculosis, syphilis, and various fungal, bacterial, and viral infections), lymphoma, and Wegener's granulomatosis. Obtaining cultures or performing histochemical staining can help rule out infectious organisms, while clinical tests for cartilage matrix proteins or antibodies to type II collagen (found uniquely in cartilage) can help define relapsing polychondritis. Patients should be treated with either a corticosteroid or an immunosuppressive agent, depending on the severity of the disease.

Suggested reading

McAdam LP, O'Hanlan MA, Bluestone R, Pearson CM. Relapsing polychondritis; Prospective study of 23 patients and a review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 1976;55:193-215.

McCaffrey TV, McDonald TJ, McCaffrey LA. Head and neck manifestations of relapsing polychondritis: Review of 29 cases, Otolaryngology 1978;86:473-8.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Medquest Communications, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

Return to Polychondritis
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay