Patients Are Most Common Presenters of Gout Information on TikTok

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- TikTok videos about gout may not be accurate, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Rheumatology: Advances in Practice.Samuela 'Ofanoa, Ph.D., from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and colleagues examined what types of gout content are on TikTok and assessed their association with user engagement. The analysis identified the top 200 TikTok videos captured using the search term ‘gout,’ and 116 relevant videos were coded by two independent researchers.The researchers found that the total number of views of the videos was 426.6 million, with the majority belonging to U.S. content creators. Patients with gout or close family members were the most common presenters (27 percent). Just over one-third of videos (38 percent) had negative connotations. The most common purpose of videos was offering health advice (38 percent), with the main content categories including management strategies (79 percent) and risk factors (45 percent), which focused overwhelmingly on diet. There was only a significant difference in engagement between gout medical sequelae and gout management."TikTok has great potential as a tool to raise awareness around health issues such as gout and promote information that aligns with clinical guidelines," 'Ofanoa said in a statement. "In an increasingly digital world, there is a need for more health professionals and organizations to seize the opportunity that social media platforms present and create content that can counter misinformation and improve understanding about gout in our communities." Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Patients Are Most Common Presenters of Gout Information on TikTok

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