Two young Tongan researchers in Auckland have teamed up to take on two major health issues facing Pacific and Māori people - rheumatic fever and gout. Postdoctoral research fellows Dr. Siobhan Tu’akoi and Dr. Samuela 'Ofanoa launched their research projects this year in South Auckland communities, funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
You are here
Results for gout
Friday 2 August 2024
Premium content
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Premium content
Thursday 9 January 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
An Otago University study is proposing that malaria in the past may have shaped the genome of Pacific people today, resulting in a genetic predisposition to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and gout. The elevated levels of uric acids, which can strengthen the immune response to the mosquito-borne disease are also what causes the inflammatory reactions in gout. “Pacific people have their own genetic variants,” says Dr Ana Gosling.
