title: A case of life-threatening refractory polychondritis successfully treated with combined intensive immunosuppressive therapy with methotrexate.
abstract: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare disease of unknown etiology causing systematic inflammation and resulting in destruction of cartilaginous tissues. We describe here an 18-year-old Japanese woman who developed severe airway stenosis as the initial symptom with auricular, nasal, and ocular inflammation. The effect of high dose oral steroid, methylprednisolone pulse therapy, and cyclophosphamide was temporary and her conditioning was worsening. Finally we added methotrexate to the immunosuppressive treatment and achieved reduction of disease activity. This case illustrates the potentially fatal sudden onset of airway inflammation that can occur with this disorder, and the effectiveness of methotrexate.
authors: First Department of Internal Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahata-nishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan. yamaoka@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
authors: Kunihiro
authors: K
authors: Yamaoka
authors: Kazuyoshi
authors: K
authors: Saito
authors: Kentaro
authors: K
authors: Hanami
authors: Shingo
authors: S
authors: Nakayamada
authors: Masao
authors: M
authors: Nawata
authors: Shigeru
authors: S
authors: Iwata
authors: Taeko
authors: T
authors: Azuma
authors: Yoshiya
authors: Y
authors: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008775:Methylprednisolone; D008727:Methotrexate