Project description:OBJECTIVE:To assess patient-reported burden of disease in pediatric patients with relapsing polychondritis (RP) and to compare those findings to adult patients. METHODS:A survey based on known clinical symptoms of RP was developed and administered to patients with a pediatric diagnosis of RP. Adult patients completed a similar survey. RESULTS:Twenty-one pediatric patients, or their parents, completed surveys. Median age at symptom onset was 6 years (interquartile range 1.8-12). Prior to diagnosis, most pediatric patients went to the emergency room (ER; 61.9%), saw > 3 physicians (57.1%), and took > 1 year to be diagnosed (61.9%). Pediatric patients were often diagnosed with asthma (42.9%), ear infections (42.9%), or sinusitis (33.3%) prior to diagnosis of RP. Symptoms prior to diagnosis included ear pain/redness (85.7%), joint pain/swelling (61.9%), and airway symptoms (38.1%). Four pediatric patients (19%) reported tracheomalacia requiring tracheostomy. Pediatric patients frequently missed school because of their disease (71.4%). Surveys from 290 adult patients were compared to pediatric patients. Pediatric patients were significantly more likely to undergo biopsy (42.9% vs 17.4%; p < 0.01) and be treated with biologics (42.9% vs 19%; p = 0.02). Adults were significantly more likely to be female (87.8% vs 28.6%; p < 0.01) and to report airway symptoms (77.9% vs 47.6%; p = 0.01). Prevalence of disease complications was not significantly different between adult and pediatric patients. CONCLUSIONS:The burden of disease in pediatric patients with RP includes missed school, diagnostic delay, ER visits, and multisystem disease, with resultant damage to cartilaginous structures. Differences in airway involvement and treatment approaches may exist between pediatric and adult patients.
Project description:ObjectiveRelapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease that attacks mainly cartilaginous structures or causes serious damage in proteoglycan-rich structures (the eyes, heart, blood vessels, inner ear). This study shows results regarding the epidemiology, progression, and associations of this highly variable disease by collecting all cases from a 124-million-person-year Central European nationwide cohort.MethodsWe used the Hungarian Health Care Database to identify all persons with possible RP infection. We followed patients who had International Classification of Diseases 10th edition code M94.1 at least once in their inpatient or outpatient records between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2013 in Hungary. We classified these patients into disease severity groups by their drug consumption patterns between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. We analyzed the regional distribution of RP incidences as well. Overall maps of comorbidity are presented with network layouts.ResultsWe identified 256 patients with RP among cumulatively 11.5 million registered inhabitants. We classified these patients into four severity classes as "extremely mild" (n=144), "mild" (n=22), "moderate" (n=41), and "severe" (n=4). Two additional groups were defined for patients without available drug data as "suspected only" (n=23) and "confirmed but unknown treatment" (n=22). The age and sex distributions of patients were similar to worldwide statistics. Indeed, the overall survival was good (95% confidence interval for 5 years was 83.6%-92.9% and for 10 years was 75.0%-88.3% which corresponds to the overall survival of the general population in Hungary), and the associations with other autoimmune disorders were high (56%) in Hungary. Almost any disease can occur with RP; however, the symptoms of chromosomal abnormalities are only incidental. Spondylosis can be a sign of the activation of RP, while Sjögren syndrome is the most frequent autoimmune association. Regional distribution of incidences suggests arsenic drinking water and sunlight exposure as possible triggering factors.ConclusionThe good survival rate of RP in Hungary is probably associated with the early diagnosis of the disease.
Project description:Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune disorder, characterized by the inflammation of cartilaginous structures and proteoglycan-rich tissues. Due to its rarity and the notoriously variable presentations, the diagnosis of RP could be challenging. We report an unusual case of RP with isolated tracheal involvement and very non-specific symptoms of exertional dyspnoea and dry cough. The initial chest radiograph showed long-segment narrowing of the trachea, and the computed tomography of the chest revealed thickened cartilaginous walls of the trachea, while the posterior membranous portion was spared. The tracheal narrowing was readily observed under bronchoscopy. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone. Although the subsequent course was transiently complicated by an episode of severe Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome, the patient overall responded well to systemic corticosteroid therapy. No new symptoms developed during a two-year follow-up.
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess patient-reported symptoms and burden of disease in relapsing polychondritis (RP).MethodsPatients with RP completed a disease-specific online survey to identify symptoms attributed to illness. Patients were divided into subgroups based upon presence or absence of ear/nose, airway, or joint involvement. Pathway to diagnosis, treatment, and disease-related complications were assessed within each subgroup.ResultsData from 304 respondents were included in this analysis. Prior to diagnosis, most patients with RP went to the emergency room (54%), saw > 3 physicians (54%), and had symptoms for >5 years (64%). A concomitant diagnosis of fibromyalgia and absence of ear/nose or joint involvement was associated with diagnostic delay >1 year. Common diagnoses prior to RP diagnosis included asthma in patients with airway involvement (35% versus 22%; P = 0.03) and ear infection in patients with ear/nose involvement (51% versus 6%; P < 0.01). Patients with joint involvement were more likely to receive a glucocorticoid-sparing agent (85% versus 13%; P < 0.01). Most patients reported a major complication, including disability (25%), tracheomalacia (16%), or hearing loss (34%). Patients with airway involvement reported more tracheomalacia (20% versus 4%; P < 0.01). Disability (24% versus 7%; P < 0.01) and hearing loss (39% versus 11%; P < 0.01) were prevalent in the joint involvement subgroup.ConclusionPatient-reported data in RP highlight a significant burden of disease. Patterns of organ involvement may lead to diagnostic delay and influence treatment decisions, ultimately impacting the development of disease-related complications. Timely diagnosis, standardization of treatment approaches, and prevention of disease-related complications are major unmet needs in RP.
Project description:ObjectiveRelapsing polychondritis (RP) is a systemic disease. Failure to recognize RP can lead to diagnostic delay and further complications, including death. This study was undertaken to identify clinical patterns in a prospective cohort of patients with RP.MethodsPatient subgroups were identified using latent class analysis based on 8 clinical variables: saddle-nose deformity, subglottic stenosis, tracheomalacia, bronchomalacia, ear chondritis, tenosynovitis/synovitis, inflammatory eye disease, and audiovestibular disease. Model selection was based on Akaike's information criterion.ResultsSeventy-three patients were included in this study. Patients were classified into 1 of 3 subgroups: type 1 RP (14%), type 2 RP (29%), and type 3 RP (58%). Type 1 RP was characterized by ear chondritis (100%), tracheomalacia (100%), saddle-nose deformity (90%), and subglottic stenosis (80%). These patients had the shortest median time to diagnosis (1 year), highest disease activity, and greatest frequency of admission to the intensive care unit and tracheostomy. Type 2 RP was characterized by tracheomalacia (100%) and bronchomalacia (52%), but no saddle-nose deformity or subglottic stenosis. These patients had the longest median time to diagnosis (10 years) and highest percentage of work disability. Type 3 RP was characterized by tenosynovitis/synovitis (60%) and ear chondritis (55%). There were no significant differences in sex, race, or treatment strategies between the 3 subgroups.ConclusionOur findings indicate that there are 3 subgroups of patients with RP, with differences in time to diagnosis, clinical and radiologic characteristics, and disease-related complications. Recognizing a broader spectrum of clinical patterns in RP, beyond cartilaginous involvement of the ear and upper airway, may facilitate more timely diagnosis.
Project description:ObjectiveRelapsing polychondritis (RP) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of cartilage that lacks validated disease activity measures. Our objective was to test physician global assessment (PhGA), a measure of disease activity commonly used in rheumatic diseases, in a cohort of patients with RP, which has not been done before.MethodsAdult patients in an observational cohort of RP underwent standardized, comprehensive evaluation at approximately 6-month intervals. PhGA was scored by 3 physicians from the evaluating institution on a scale of 0-10 for each visit. A random subset of 20 visits was scored by 3 independent physicians not affiliated with the evaluating institution. Treatment change between consecutive visits was categorized as increased, decreased, or unchanged.ResultsIn total, 78 patients were evaluated over 164 visits. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1 ) for the 3 raters from the evaluating institution was excellent (0.79 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.73, 0.84]) but was poor in the subset of cases scored by the additional raters (ICC2,1 0.27 [95% CI -0.01, 0.53]). Median PhGA was 3 (range 0-7). PhGA weakly correlated with C-reactive protein level (rs = 0.30, P < 0.01). In response to increased treatment, median PhGA decreased from 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2, 4) to 2 (IQR 2, 3) (P < 0.01) but rarely went to 0.ConclusionWithin a single center, PhGA can be used to quantify disease activity and monitor disease response in RP. Persistent disease activity despite treatment, rather than a relapsing-remitting pattern, is observed for most patients with RP. Reliability of PhGA may not generalize across different institutions. A validated disease-specific activity index is needed in RP.
Project description:BackgroundRelapsing Polychondritis is a rare rheumatologic condition with multisystem involvement. Common presenting symptoms are auricular and nasal chondritis. Common complications include hearing loss and cardiac involvement. An extremely rare complication is neurological involvement. Case report. We present a case of relapsing polychondritis resulting in stroke and discuss the current literature on this condition.ConclusionTo our knowledge, only 6 previous documented cases of stroke secondary to relapsing polychondritis exist in the current literature. This case represents a rare but important complication of relapsing polychondritis.
Project description:Microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) positive neuropathology is the characteristic feature of majority of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases, which is due to the mutations or haplotypic variations in the gene encoding MAPT (MAPT). The present study was aimed at determining the frequency of genetic variations in MAPT in a south Indian FTD cohort. The frequency of mutations were determined in 116 FTD, 8 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and 3 corticobasal syndrome (CBS) patients and haplotype diversity were analyzed in a study cohort comprising 116 FTD, 8 PSP, 3 CBS, 194 other dementia groups, 78 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 130 cognitively normal individuals and report no pathogenic mutations in FTD/PSP/CBS or haplotypic association with disease risk in FTD or other dementia patients. These findings suggest that there may be other genetic or epigenetic factors contributing to the pathogenesis of FTD in the south Indian population.
Project description:AimTo assess the clinical utility of ultrasonography in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in relapsing polychondritis (RP).MethodsAuricular and nasal chondritis of 6 patients with RP were assessed by ultrasonography before treatment initiation. Changes in the ultrasonographic and clinical findings and serum inflammatory markers were longitudinally assessed. Ultrasonography was also performed in 6 patients with repeat ear trauma, 6 patients with auricular cellulitis and 6 healthy controls for comparison among groups.ResultsIn all cases of RP, ultrasonographic findings before treatment revealed low-echoic swollen auricular and nasal cartilage and perichondral soft-tissue with increased power Doppler signals (PDS) corresponding to biopsy findings. After 2-month treatment with prednisolone (PSL) combined with methotrexate, clinical and serum inflammatory markers were completely resolved. Although swollen perichondral soft-tissue, cartilage and PDS on auricular ultrasonography were also significantly improved, PDS remained in 2 of 6 cases, which showed flare early after tapering PSL. Finally, ultrasonographic findings of RP were substantially differentiated between patients with repeat trauma and cellulitis and healthy controls based on the thickness of soft tissue around the cartilage, PDS and subperichondral serous effusion.ConclusionAssessment of RP lesions by ultrasonography is useful for the evaluation of cartilaginous lesions and monitoring of disease activity, especially when considering the treatment response and the timing of drug tapering.
Project description:BackgroundRelapsing polychondritis (RP) as a rare autoimmune disease is characterized by recurrent inflammation of the organs containing cartilage. Currently, no biomarkers have been integrated into clinical practice. This study aimed to construct and evaluate models based on laboratory parameters to aid in RP diagnosis, assess activity assessment, and explore associations with the pathological process.MethodsRP patients and healthy controls (HCs) were recruited at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from July 2017 to July 2023. Clinical data including Relapsing Polychondritis Disease Activity Index (RPDAI) score and laboratory tests were collected. Differences in laboratory data between RP patients and HCs and active and inactive patients were analyzed.ResultsThe discovery cohort (cohort 1) consisted of 78 RP patients and 94 HCs. A model based on monocyte counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could effectively distinguish RP patients from HCs with an AUC of 0.845. Active RP patients exhibited increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, complement 3, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), NLR, and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) compared with stable patients, which were also positively correlated with RPDAI. Notably, CAR emerged as an independent risk factor of disease activity (OR = 4.422) and could identify active patients with an AUC of 0.758. To confirm the reliability and stability of the aforementioned models, a replication cohort (cohort 2) was enrolled, including 79 RP patients and 94 HCs. The monocyte-combined NLR and CAR showed a sensitivity of 0.886 and 0.577 and a specificity of 0.830 and 0.833 in RP diagnosis and activity prediction, respectively. Furthermore, lower natural killer cell levels in RP patients and higher B-cell levels in active patients may contribute to elucidating the pathological mechanisms of disease occurrence and exacerbation.ConclusionsThe utilization of laboratory parameters provides cost-effective and valuable markers that can assist in RP diagnosis, identify disease activity, and elucidate pathogenic mechanisms.