Reducing gout inequities with preventive treatment

+Treatment focus
In print
Educate

Reducing gout inequities with preventive treatment

By Noni Richards
Shellfish
Avoiding kaimoana may not be necessary if gout is well managed [Image: Jamaludin Yusup on iStock.com]

Gout highlights significant health inequalities in New Zealand. Māori and Pacific peoples face higher genetic risk, earlier onset and greater severity, with more frequent pain and complications. Clinical writer Noni Richards explains how early detection and preventive treatment are essential to reduce this burden.

Gout is an inflammatory arthritis caused by the accumulation of monosodium urate crystals in joints, often due to hyperuricaemia. Recurrent episodes c
References

1. Health Quality & Safety Commission. Atlas of Healthcare Variation: Gout. 10 January 2024.

2. Bryant L. CLASStime: Beyond medicines for gout. Pharmacy Today, 1 October 2021.

3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Gout: diagnosis and management. 9 June 2022.

4. New Zealand Formulary. NZF v150; 1 December 2024.

5. BPACnz. Managing gout in primary care: Part 2 - Controlling gout with long-term urate-lowering treatment. 2 August 2021.

6. FitzGerald JD, Dalbeth N, Mikuls T, et al. 2020 American College of Rheumatology guideline for the management of gout. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2020;72(6):744–60.

7. Stamp LK, Taylor WJ, Jones PB, et al. Starting dose is a risk factor for allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome: a proposed safe starting dose of allopurinol. Arthritis Rheum 2012;64(8):2529–36.

8. Richette P, Doherty M, Pascual E, et al. 2016 updated EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the management of gout. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76(1):29–42.