Background Paediatric cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE) is uncommon and inadequately described in the literature. Similar to adults, children with cutaneous LE develop LE-specific and/or LE-nonspecific skin findings. Similarities and differences in demographics and clinical course between paediatric and adult cutaneous LE have not been sufficiently described. Objectives The purpose of this study is to detail the demographic and clinical features of paediatric cutaneous LE and then compare these findings to those reported in the adult literature. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of 53 children seen in a paediatric dermatology clinic with cutaneous manifestations of LE. Results Patients presented with all five major subtypes of cutaneous LE, with some notable differences from adult cutaneous LE and previously published reports of paediatric cutaneous LE. Progression from discoid LE to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) did not occur in our cohort. Patients with subacute cutaneous LE were more likely than adults to have lesions below the waist as well as concomitant SLE. Sex distribution for cutaneous LE in our study was equal prior to puberty and female-predominant in post-pubertal patients. Conclusions Children with cutaneous LE have variable clinical presentations and progression to SLE that may be different from adult disease. Specifically, children with acute and subacute cutaneous LE may be more likely than adults to have systemic disease; therefore, patients with these subtypes should be monitored closely for evidence of SLE. Study limitations included small patient numbers that may limit ability to generalize this data and relatively short follow-up intervals.

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