Relapsing Polychondritis
New relapsing polychondritis research, summarized each month in plain language.
2026 so far: So far in 2026 (January 2026 to September 2026), real-world data linked TNF inhibitors and an IL-6 receptor inhibitor with fewer relapses, while airway and heart involvement were described in more detail in cohorts. Read the 2026 review
We also cover clinical trials.
Yearly update
2026 so far
- Biologics and relapses. Shift from case-only treatment signals to cohort relapse comparisons.
- Airway involvement. Airway involvement progressed from single cases to cohort subtyping and imaging comparisons.
- Tracking and risk. Monitoring advanced with an RP-specific QoL tool and risk-linked clinical clusters.
- Heart involvement. Cardiac patterns emerged from a single-center cohort with subgroup signals.
- Diagnosis and imaging. Diagnostic work moved from single PET-CT cases to CT/PET-CT syntheses and VEXAS look-alikes.
New
September 2026
- CT airway findings. CT more often showed upper trachea narrowing in RP.
- PET/CT scan signals. PET/CT was often positive, suggesting ongoing inflammation.
- Tracheostomy tube removal. Tube removal after tracheostomy was less often successful in RP.
August 2026
- Airway subtypes. Three airway patterns matched different levels of breathing support.
- Bronchoscopy risk. In higher-risk airways, bronchoscopy sometimes triggered short-term breathing crises.
- Heart and vessel issues. Heart or nearby vessel findings occurred in about 3 in 10.
- AI accuracy limits. Without detailed case information, AI identified the disease inconsistently.
July 2026
- Quality-of-life survey. A new RP survey measured daily-life impact in this dataset.
- Clinical subgroups. Three hospital RP patterns were tied to different worsening risk.
- VEXAS look-alike. Some RP-like illness was VEXAS, confirmed by a UBA1 change.
June 2026
- Flare patterns on biologics. Flares were less common during TNF inhibitor or IL-6 blocker use.
- Infection risk unclear. This study could not clearly estimate infection hospitalizations on biologics.
- Airway diagnosis mix-ups. Some cases resembled airway tumors or other inflammatory diseases.
May 2026
- Finding airway collapse. Chest CT and bronchoscopy were used to show that the airway was collapsing.
- Wheezing from airway weakness. In relapsing polychondritis, wheezing can come from a weakened airway that narrows or collapses, not only from asthma-type irritation.
- Stepping up treatment. In the case described, care progressed from steroids and breathing support to immune-targeting medicines and airway procedures.
April 2026
- Delayed diagnosis and hearing damage. In case reports, diagnosis made after symptoms had progressed was associated with permanent hearing impairment.
- Sudden hearing loss. Sudden hearing loss was described as one way relapsing polychondritis can present.
- Airway inflammation symptoms. Inflammation in the airway cartilage was used to explain breathing problems and voice changes.
- Steroids and other immune medicines. Steroids and other immune-targeting medicines were reported to help in some cases, based on individual reports.
March 2026
- PET-CT inflammation sites. Whole-body PET-CT imaging helped identify where cartilage inflammation was active.
- Cough and airway cartilage. In this case report, a long-lasting cough was linked to inflammation in airway cartilage.
- Hearing loss had another cause. The report described hearing loss, with evidence pointing to a different cause rather than relapsing polychondritis.
February 2026
- Symptoms beyond cartilage. Recent reports described relapsing polychondritis with throat and digestive symptoms, including cases where a second inflammatory condition may be present alongside it.
- Hormones and voice box inflammation. In women with autoimmune disease, estrogen-containing hormone therapy was associated with more inflammatory vocal fold lesions, which is a measurable pattern but not proof that estrogen caused the problem.
- VEXAS overlap and cancer risk. In VEXAS registry data, relapsing polychondritis features were linked with higher cancer risk, supporting why clinicians may evaluate for broader syndromes when the overall picture is atypical.
- Dapsone reaction pattern. One case report linked dapsone to a test-confirmed reaction affecting oxygen-carrying capacity and red blood cells, and the report noted improvement after the reaction was recognized and the drug was stopped.
January 2026
- No new treatment updates
- No monitoring or safety patterns
- No diagnostic or biology findings
- No comparisons with past research
Get the monthly update by email
Subscribe here to receive an email when a new monthly relapsing polychondritis update is published. You can unsubscribe at any time. Your address is used for this only; delivery is handled by MailerLite (privacy policy).