Commentary: Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus

The case report by McCuistion and Schoch¹represents the first report of a rare entity, neonatal lupus erythematosus (LE). These investigators described a 6-week-old boy who was noted at birth to have discrete erythematous macules, varying from 0.5 to 3.0 cm in diameter, on his scalp and face. Scaling, follicular plugging, and atrophy were clearly present. Histologic examination of the scalp lesions disclosed hyperkeratosis, keratotic plugging, alternate areas of atrophy and acanthosis, and liquefaction degeneration of the basal layer. The only serologic test reported was an LE test which was negative. Bland ointment was applied to these lesions and by five months of age, the patient showed complete disappearance of the dermatitis, which left only a slight trace of atrophy at sites of previous involvement. A subsequent follow-up examination failed to show any evidence of systemic disease or recurrence of the cutaneous lesions. The mother was in good health