Guest guest Posted July 10, 2001 Report Share Posted July 10, 2001 Chuck, Hi! The cartilage destruction may continue on depending on how and where this disease progresses. At the present time it is believed to "prefer" two types of cartilage types. One is mentioned in the abstract listed below. (the full article will be in the upcoming issue of The Support Report). The other is in the cartilage that is higher in Matrilin-1. The finding of the Matrilin-1 antigen (protein) is a pivotal break through for us RPer's. As it is found only in the cartilage of the ears, nose and trachea. The hallmark places that RP affects the most. This was discovered by Dr. Buckner's team. ( Dr. Buckner's article on her research is in the message section of the Support Report and I have posted it several times to this message board also. ) Just check through the archives. Hope this helps. R. The Support Report http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheSupportReport This article was kindly submitted by Dr. M. Zizic for the Support Report Relapsing Polychondritis M. Zizic, M.D., F.A.R.A. Relapsing Polychondritis is a relatively rare multi-system disorder with a predilection for affecting tissues that have a relatively high glycosaminoglycan content, such as cartilage, aorta, sclera, cornea and parts of the ear. The most characteristic lesion in the disease is cartilaginous inflammation, which is polyfocal. Although 15 percent of the patients have continuous symptomatic disease, the remainder in one large series had intermittent inflammatory manifestations, with an average of five episodes over a 6-year mean period of follow-up. Hence, the name - Relapsing Polychondritis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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