A Case of Relapsing Polychondritis with Inner Ear Symptom Improved by Plasmaphresis / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare disease which often presents itself firstly in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) department. Characteristic features include auricular chondritis, arthritis, nasal chondritis, ocular inflammation, respiratory tract involvement and audiovestibular damage. The mainstay of treatment has been corticosteroid but other agents have been used either alone or in conjunction with it. These other agents include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, dapsone and colchicine which are helpful for mild disease and cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, cyclosporin. Authors have recently experienced a case of relapsing polychondritis in a 32 year old man who had suddenly experienced loss of hearing in his left ear with vertigo. The patient showed no significant improvement with the treatment using steroid and immunosuppressive agents, but showed significant hearing improvement when he was aggressively treated with plasmapheresis. We report this case with a review of the literature.