Pediatric discoid lupus erythematosus: Short report

Abstract

Pediatric discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a rare inflammatory skin disorder. This article aims to review all the available clinical and therapeutic data on reported cases of pediatric DLE. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Pubmed and Embase with no limitation on publication date, sex, or nationality. Thirty-two articles were included with 201 cases, a mean age of 8.9 years (2 months-16 years) and an F:M ratio of 1.8. Lesions were located on the head and neck in 58.5% and were disseminated in 36.5% of the cases. Associated symptoms were pruritus (10.1%) and alopecia (8.7%). 12% progressed to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 14.5% had concurrent SLE. The only statistically significant predictor for progression to SLE was the onset of symptoms before or at the age of 10 years (p = 0.004). Treatments consisted mainly of sunscreens (26.3%), topical corticosteroids (24.3%), and oral antimalarials (25.3%). Retrospective nature of the included studies, small sample size, short duration of follow-up and limited data on the patients' demographics. Pediatric DLE affects mostly the head and neck, with a female predominance, a possible association with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and overall good treatment response and prognosis.