Pacific Islanders with Polynesian heritage have more than three times the likelihood of suffering from gout than European New Zealanders.
Pacific men of working age are the most likely to be affected by the painful arthritic illness.
Otago University professor Tony Merriman says gout also affects a high number of Polynesians in the Pacific.
Professor Merriman told Dominic Godfrey only 34 percent of Pasifika sufferers are being treated and the aim is to get to 90 percent by 2040.
Gout is represented by an attacking demon in a 1799 etching by James Gillray. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
