March 16, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: I was just diagnosed with
relapsing polychondritis. What has been your experience with
this disease? Relapsing polychondritis is a rare disease that
causes inflammation of cartilage throughout the body, especially
in the ears, nose, eyes and throat. Symptoms of this disease
come and go. The severity of symptoms, and how often they
appear, varies quite a bit from person to person. Although no
cure currently exists for relapsing polychondritis, it often can
be effectively controlled with medication. The specific cause of
relapsing polychrondritis is not known. The underlying trigger
for the disease could be related to a person's genetic makeup,
and triggered by environmental factors. But, whatever the cause,
relapsing polychrondritis appears to be an autoimmune disorder.
In these disorders, the immune system mistakenly targets healthy
organs and tissue. In this case, it attacks the body's
cartilage. Cartilage is the firm, flexible tissue that cushions
your joints and gives shape