Patients with SLE (mean age, 42.3 years; women, 89% and mean disease duration, 112.8 months) had significantly higher proportions of naïve CD8+ T cells (CCR7+CD45RA+), CD8+ terminally differentiated effector memory cells (CCR7−CD45RA+) and activated CD8+ T cells (CD38+HLA-DR+) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells than HCs (p<0.001). Here, CD8A is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.