Background: Relapsing polychondritis is a rare recurring inflammatory disorder with variable clinical course. Its etiopathogenesis is unknown, but autoimmune mechanisms are likely to be involved.
Patient: We present a case report of a 42-year-old woman with polychondritis manifested in very slowly progressing destruction of the nasal cartilage, additional subglottic tracheal stenosis, and increasing cochlear dysfunction.
Result: We describe and document by a series of photographs the very protracted course of the disease in this patient from early youth until now. Clinical signs and differential diagnosis in polychondritis are discussed.
Conclusion: An early diagnosis in slowly progressing cases like this has to be established in order to permit adequate use of glucocorticoids and/or immunosuppressive drugs, to check the progress of the disease and prevent potentially lethal complications.