page_title: Relapsing polychondritis
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Relapsing polychondritis / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Rudolf von Jaksch (1855–1947), österreichischer Internist English: Rudolf von Jaksch (1855–1947), Austrian internist
context_page_description: Relapsing polychondritis is a multi-systemic condition characterized by repeated episodes of inflammation and deterioration of cartilage. The often painful disease can cause joint deformity and be life-threatening if the respiratory tract, heart valves, or blood vessels are affected. The exact mechanism is poorly understood, but it is thought to be related to an immune-mediated attack on particular proteins that are abundant in cartilage.
  The diagnosis is reached on the basis of the symptoms and supported by investigations such as blood tests and sometimes other investigations. Treatment may involve symptomatic treatment with painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications, and more severe cases may require suppression of the immune system.
context_section_description: In 1923, Rudolf Jaksch von Wartenhorst first discovered Relapsing polychondritis while working in Prague and initially named it Polychondropathia.
  His patient was a 32-year-old male brewer who presented with fever, asymmetric polyarthritis, and the ears and nose showed signs of swelling, deformity and were painful. Biopsy of nasal cartilage revealed loss of the cartilage matrix and a hyperplastic mucous
  membrane. Jaksch von Wartenhorst considered this was an undescribed degenerative disorder of cartilage and named it Polychondropathia.
  He even took his patient's occupation into consideration, and related the cause to excessive alcohol intake.
  Since then, the disease has received many names. The following table shows the history of the nomenclature of Relapsing polychondritis. The current name, Relapsing Polychondritis (RP), was introduced by Pearson and his colleagues in 1960 to emphasize the episodic course of the disease.
caption: The discoverer of Relapsing polychondritis Rudolf Jaksch von Wartenhorst.
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