Neonatal lupus erythematosus

This is a case of an infant with neonatal lupus erythematosus who presented the characteristic cutaneous lesions without evidence of systemic involvement. NLE is a rare condition which affects newborn infants from mothers who may me asymptomatic or have a connective tissue disease, with or without autoantibodies to extractable nuclear antigens Ro (SS-A), LA (SS-B) or ribonucleoproteins. The skin lesions are usually annular in configuration and resemble those of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Congenital complete heart block (CHB) may be present in addition to the cutaneous lesions. This is a review of NLE focusing on its clinical manifestations, serologic markers, pathogenesis and treatment.