Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Eight patients with neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) who were treated at the Department of Dermatology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, during the past 20 years were studied. In addition, two typical cases were presented. The study focused on the sex bias, changes in skin lesions, the presence (or absence) of liver dysfunction or cardiac disease, frequency of detection of various autoantibodies, long-term follow-up, and clinical entities and status of diseases from which the mothers suffered. The male vs. female ratio among these patients was 1 : 7, indicating an evident female bias. Skin eruptions became evident at one month after birth and tended to become extinct by approximately six months. None of the patients suffered from cardiac complications. Liver dysfunctions were encountered by four, but all recovered after clinical observations of a certain period. Six mothers suffered from Sjogren’s syndrome also, while one had both this syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. The oldest among the children under observation is currently 14 years of age. None have developed evident autoimmune disease. However, three continue to exhibit positive reactions to anti-nuclear antibodies and two reverted to a positive status at around three years of age after a temporary loss of the antibodies. This finding indicates that, in managing a patient with NLE, observation must be continued over a long time.