Cutaneous lesions are among the earliest and most frequent features of SLE, with over 70% of patients developing mucocutaneous involvement during their disease course.
The presence and severity of cutaneous manifestations have been associated with specific autoantibodies, such as anti-Ro/SSA and anti-dsDNA, which may reflect underlying genetic susceptibility.
Recent studies have also implicated gene polymorphisms in IRF5, STAT4, TREX1, and TNFA in the pathogenesis of cutaneous SLE phenotypes.
Defective TREX1 exonuclease activity, leading to intracellular accumulation of DNA, may trigger type I interferon activation-a key mechanism in lupus pathophysiology.
Despite the extensive global literature, data from Egyptian patients remain limited, especially regarding the relationship between TREX1 gene variants and cutaneous lupus phenotypes.
Understanding how autoantibody profiles and gene polymorphisms relate to clinical features and disease activity could enhance early diagnosis, predict flares, and improve personalized therapy.
