Because of the equivocal evidence in the literature regarding the role of TNFα and its soluble receptor subtypes in SLE [2–7], we refrain from discussing each of these findings in detail and, instead, try to understand the complex relationships between urinary sTNF-R55 concentrations and SLE symptoms by taking a broader view of the cross-correlational findings summarized above. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and systemic lupus erythematosus.