Relapsing polychondritis: unusual neurological findings and therapeutic efficacy of dapsone

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare disease of undetermined cause. The most frequently seen symptom is redness and swelling of the cartilaginous ear, followed by cartilage inflammation elsewhere in the body. Our five cases had neurologic symptoms that posed diagnostic difficulties. Because vasculitis is not uncommon in relapsing polychondritis, it was difficult to determine whether these neurologic symptoms were attributable to relapsing polychondritis or to other unrelated causes. In our cases, specific neurologic complaints were caused by a concomitant but unrelated disease, rather than by relapsing polychondritis. We add five additional documented cases to the medical literature and confirm the therapeutic efficacy of dapsone in the treatment of this unusual disease.