New research reveals troubling racial disparities in gout care across America, with minority patients receiving less effective treatment despite facing higher disease burdens. The findings emerged from studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology’s 2025 annual meeting and related research tracking gout prevalence nationwide.
Dr. Irene Tan of Einstein Healthcare Network examined real-world treatment patterns over a decade, comparing 359,020 minority patients with an equal number of white patients. Her team found that minority adults were less likely to receive allopurinol, the guideline-preferred medication for lowering uric acid levels. Instead, these patients more frequently received febuxostat and multiple acute medications to manage painful flare-ups rather than prevent them.
The consequences proved significant. Minority patients maintained higher serum urate levels and experienced more cardiovascular complications, with major adverse cardiovascular events occurring in 16.8% compared to 15.5% of white patients over ten years.
Gout prevalence has surged across all racial groups, affecting 12.1 million American adults by 2017-2018. Asian adults showed the steepest rise, reaching 6.6% prevalence, while Black adults reached 5.7%. Dr. Natalie McCormick of Massachusetts General Hospital noted that Black-white disparities stemmed entirely from social determinants including poverty, poor diet quality, and chronic kidney disease. For Asian populations, the mechanisms appear different, potentially involving genetic factors combined with worsening metabolic risk factors.
Emergency department visits for gout complications highlighted these care gaps, with Black patients five times more likely than white patients to seek emergency treatment.
See: “Real-World Data Show Gout Treatment Disparities” (January 5, 2026)
