Genetic variations of microRNA encoding genes infuence various sorts of diseases by modifying the expression or activity of
microRNAs. MicroRNA 146a is an epigenetic regulator of immune response through controlling the type I interferon (IFN)
and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. Genetic variations of microRNA 146a impact the susceptibility to systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its clinical presentations. This study aimed to investigate the polymorphisms of microRNA146a gene (rs2431697 and rs57095329) in patients with SLE and its association with disease activity. Sixty-fve patients
with SLE and 40 apparently healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Patients were subjected to history taking, clinical
examination, and disease activity evaluation by SLEDAI score. The microRNA-146a variants were determined by allele
discrimination real-time PCR method in all participants. We found a statistically signifcant association between rs2431697
T allele and SLE (P-value