Aim: Recent studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified within the promoter of the human interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene may participate in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may be related to disease activity. This is a pilot study that investigated the allelic and genotype frequencies of three SNPs in the human IL-10 gene promoter [rs1800896 (position: -1082G > A), rs1800871 (position: -824C > T) and rs1800872 (position: -597C > A)]among Malaysian SLE patients and normal subjects. Methods: Blood was drawn from 44 SLE patients and 44 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects for DNA extraction. The SNPs were identified using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results: There was no significant difference in the genotype and allele frequencies between the SLE patients and control subjects. A statistically significant difference was detected in the haplotype frequencies between the patients and controls (P = 0.004). Conclusions: There is a significant difference in the haplotype frequencies between the SLE patients and controls; the SNPs in the human IL-10 gene promoter could play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE. © 2008 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.