Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0086543 (cataract)
 29,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare, presumably inflammatory autoimmune disorder affecting cartilagenous structures throughout the body. The ears, nose, joints, eyes and the respiratory tract are most frequently involved. The main ocular manifestations are episcleritis and scleritis, conjunctivitis, iridocyclitis and chorioretinitis, cataract and corneal infiltrates and melting. Extraocular signs and symptoms often are indicative of the diagnosis. Therapy includes systemic steroids, immunosuppressive drugs and dapsone. Three case histories are reported and the literature of ocular manifestations of relapsing polychondritis is reviewed.
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PMID:Ocular manifestations of relapsing polychondritis. Three case histories. 783 85

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease characterized by episodic inflammation of cartilaginous tissues throughout the body. It is distinguished by recurrent bouts of inflammation, which lead to the permanent destruction of the involved structures. It can be a life-threatening, debilitating, and frightening disease and is often difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Ocular manifestations have been reported to occur in up to 65% of cases and include proptosis, eyelid edema, extraocular muscles palsy, episcleritis, scleritis, conjunctivitis, corneal infiltrate, peripheral ulcerative keratitis, corneal thinning or perforation, iridocyclitis, cataract, retinopathy, exudative retinal detachment, and optic neuritis. Corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment for RP; however, other treatment modalities include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, colchicine, dapsone, and immunomodulatory drugs. This article reviews the literature and summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment, and prognosis of the systemic and ocular manifestations of RP.
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PMID:Relapsing polychondritis: systemic and ocular manifestations, differential diagnosis, management, and prognosis. 2195 72