Relapsing polychondritis

To date only 55 cases of relapsing polychondritis have been reported in the English literature. The present information concerning the history, clinical and laboratory findings, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is reviewed. Two unusual cases of this disease which exemplify the extreme variability of the symptomatology among these patients are presented. While asleep one patient developed a classical “saddle nose” deformity which spontaneously improved within three days. The other patient's disease manifested predominately non‐cartilaginous symptoms and emphasizes the possibility of an auto‐immune or allergic mechanism affecting a molecular target common to both cartilaginous and non‐cartilaginous structures.