Relapsing polychondritis in children: A review

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare auto-immune disease that causes progressive destruction of cartilaginous structures. Most cases of pediatric-onset RP were published as a single case report or hand-full case series although the prevalence of RP is unknown. This review aimed to describe the characteristics of pediatric-onset RP in order to provide a comparison between childhood and adulthood features of the disease and to review the experiences of biological agents used in children with RP. In children, the diagnosis of RP is either delayed or overlooked due to low incidence and variability in clinical features. Treatment of RP is challenging due to the recurrent episodic nature of the disease. Different immunosuppressive medications, including steroid and steroid-sparing disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate or azathioprine, are used to treat RP. There is no rigorous clinical research to support the use of new therapeutic modalities, including biological agents. It is challenging to protocolize the treatment of pediatric-onset RP due to the rarity of the disease. Corticosteroids are the primary form of therapy. However, DMARDs and biological agents may have a role in treating patients with sustained or refractory disease.