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Medical Definition of Relapsing polychondritis
1. A degenerative disease of cartilage producing a bizarre form of arthritis, with collapse of the ears, the cartilaginous portion of the nose, and the tracheobronchial tree; death may occur from chronic infection or suffocation because of loss of stability in the tracheobronchial tree of autosomal origin. Synonym: chronic atrophic polychondritis, generalised chondromalacia, Meyenburg's disease, Meyenburg-Altherr-Uehlinger syndrome, relapsing perichondritis, systemic chondromalacia, von Meyenburg's disease. (05 Mar 2000)