Abstract

Neonatal lupus is a rare acquired autoimmune disorder that is present at birth (congenital). Affected infants often develop a distinctive red rash or skin eruptions. The most important potential complication is a heart condition known as congenital heart block. Congenital heart block does not resolve in the first few months of life, and infants may eventually need a pacemaker. Some infants have only skin symptoms, some infants have only heart symptoms, and in rare cases, some infants develop both. The most common symptom associated with neonatal lupus is a skin rash consisting of reddish, ring-shaped skin lesions that resemble the rash associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. The rash is temporary (transient), usually appearing in the first few weeks of life and disappearing at some point in the next few months. In rare cases, the skin lesions may persist into childhood. The face and scalp are most commonly affected. The raccoon eye patch, if present, is a big clue to the diagnosis. Neonatal lupus is a rare acquired disorder that occurs when specific antibodies are transferred across the placenta from a pregnant woman to the developing fetus. In most cases, it is an anti-Ro/SSA antibody, an anti-La/SSB antibody, or both. In rare cases, the skin rash associated with neonatal lupus has been associated with another autoantibody that reacts against a different type of ribonucleoprotein (called an anti-RNP test). Other symptoms, such as congenital heart block, are not thought to occur with anti-RNP, but a few isolated cases have been reported recently, the significance of which is not yet clear.

Keywords:Neonatal lupus; Autoimmune disorder; Erythematosus; Anti-La/SSB antibody