Symptoms include chest wall pain or, less often, swelling of the involved cartilage. The involvement of the ribs is seen in 35% of persons with RP but is rarely the first symptom. Other manifestations
Relapsing polychondritis may affect many different organ systems of the body. At first, some people with the disease may have only nonspecific symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and malaise. Joint
The second most common clinical finding of this disease is joint pain with or without arthritis, after chondritis. All synovial joints may be affected.At presentation, around 33% of people have joint symptoms that involve Polyarthralgia and/or polyarthritis or oligoarthritis that affects various parts of the body and often appears to be episodic, asymmetric, migratory and non-deforming. The most common sites of involvement are the metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal interphalangeal joints and knees. After which is followed by the ankles, wrists, metatarsophalangeal joints and the elbows. Any involvement of the axial skeleton is considered to be very rare. Tests for rheumatoid factor are negative in affected persons with RP, unless there is a co-morbidity with RA.Less often it has been reported that persons may experience arthralgia, monoarthritis, or chronic polyarthritis that mimics rheumatoid arthritis, leading to a difficult diagnosis for this disease. The appearance of erosions and destruction, however, is exceedingly rare and this may point instead to rheumatoid arthritis as a cause.Diseases and inflammation of tendons have been reported in small numbers of people with RP. During the course of the disease, around 80% of people develop joint symptoms.
Relapsing polychondritis is a multi-systemic condition characterized by repeated episodes of inflammation and deterioration of cartilage. The often painful disease can cause joint deformity and be life-threatening if the respiratory tract, heart valves, or blood vessels are affected. The exact mechanism is poorly understood, but it is thought to be related to an immune-mediated attack on particular proteins that are abundant in cartilage. The diagnosis is reached on the basis of the symptoms and supported by investigations such as blood tests and sometimes other investigations. Treatment may involve symptomatic treatment with painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications, and more severe cases may require suppression of the immune system. Signs and symptoms
Though any cartilage in the body may be affected in persons with relapsing polychondritis, in many cases the disease affects several areas while sparing others. The disease may be variable in its signs and symptoms, resulting in a difficult diagnosis which may leads to delayed recognition for several months, years or decades. Joint symptoms are often one of the first signs of the disease with cartilage inflammation initially absent in nearly half the cases. Associated diseases
There are several other overlapping diseases associated with RP, that should also be taken into account. About one-third of people with RP might be associated with other autoimmune diseases, vasculitides and hematologic disorders. Systemic vasculitis is the most common association with RP, followed by rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The following table displays the main diseases in association with RP.