Treatment
Treatment plans typically involve suppression of the immune system with medicines. The first line drug is systemic steroid, prednisone orally or medroxyprednisolone intravenously, depending how sick the patient is. It works fast to control symptoms and reduced inflammation, but is associated with a number of potentially serious side effects. Doctors typically starts patients on calcium, vitamin D and bisphosphonates to prevent osteoporosis while he or she is on steroids. A steroid-sparing medication (e.g. azathioprine or cyclophosphamide) is often given with the steroid. It will take weeks before this medication to reach it full effect, at which time, steroid can be slowly tapered. The patient will need close follow-up with a rheumatologist or internist.
Read more about this topic: Relapsing Polychondritis
Famous quotes containing the word treatment:
“The treatment of the incident of the assault upon the sailors of the Baltimore is so conciliatory and friendly that I am of the opinion that there is a good prospect that the differences growing out of that serious affair can now be adjusted upon terms satisfactory to this Government by the usual methods and without special powers from Congress.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
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—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“Ambivalence reaches the level of schizophrenia in our treatment of violence among the young. Parents do not encourage violence, but neither do they take up arms against the industries which encourage it. Parents hide their eyes from the books and comics, slasher films, videos and lyrics which form the texture of an adolescent culture. While all successful societies have inhibited instinct, ours encourages it. Or at least we profess ourselves powerless to interfere with it.”
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)