RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS AND STROKE

Relapsing polychondritis is a multisystemic autoimmune disease with a predilection for cartilaginous structures, causing recurrent episodes of chondritis. The most common presentations are auricular and nasal chondritis and arthritis; however, the disease may affect almost every part of body including heart, vessels, tracheobronchial tree and nervous system. Stroke has rarely been reported in patients with relapsing polychondritis. We present a case with stroke, probably due to vasculitis and other typical manifestations of relapsing polychondritis including auricular perichondritis, sensorineural hearing loss and ocular inflammation.