[A rare combination of relapsing polychondritis and systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report]

The coexistence of relapsing polychondritis in patients under follow-up for systemic lupus erythematosus is rarely reported in the literature, with a prevalence of about 1%. We here report the first Moroccan case, a 44-year-old female patient who, after nine years of lupus, developed relapsing polychondritis and achieved clinical remission after four years of follow-up with hydroxychloroquine and low-dose prednisone. In our literature review, we identified 23 cases of lupus associated with relapsing polychondritis. These are two distinct pathologies in which the autoimmune mechanism is thought to be involved. This case highlights the importance of mutual surveillance to detect early the occurrence of either condition, despite their rarity.