The CD4+ T cell compartment of cSLE patients at diagnosis contained higher percentages of both cTfh (PD-1hi, CXCR5+) and cTph (PD-1hi, CXCR5-) compared to HC (cTfh: p = 3.2e-4, median SLE = 1.27% vs. HC = 0.371%; cTph: p = 1.2e-7, median SLE = 11.5% vs. HC = 3.43%;Figure 4A). This evidence concerns the gene CXCR5 and systemic lupus erythematosus.