Urticarial vasculitis revealing relapsing polychondritis

Eur J Intern Med. 2005 Jun;16(3):207-208. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2004.10.022.

Abstract

We report a case of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis heralding a relapsing polychondritis in a 63-year-old woman. The patient, who had suffered in the past from polymyalgia rheumatica, suddenly experienced a generalized urticarial eruption with a dramatic decrease in C4 complement fraction and the presence of anti-C1q antibodies. Two months later, an ear chondritis occurred and the patient rapidly responded to steroids and dapsone. To our knowledge, this association has never been reported.