Neonatal lupus occurs when a child is born
to a mother with lupus who has positive
anti-Ro antibodies. Anti-Ro antibodies are also
present in women with Sjögren’s syndrome, an
associated autoimmune disease. In neonatal
lupus, antibodies from the mother cross the
placenta and interfere with the development
of the fetus (Izmirly et al 2007). Neonatal
lupus is rare and presents in approximately
5% of babies born to anti-Ro positive mothers
(Wallace 2008a). At birth, the infant can
present with a transient discoid or subacute