Exclusive: Experts say ‘stark’ inequality with white counterparts could be a result of delayed diagnoses

Black patients are eight times more likely to be admitted to hospital with lupus than their white counterparts, NHS figures show, with experts saying the “stark” inequality could be a result of delayed diagnoses.

The hospital admission rate in England for black patients with a primary diagnosis of lupus was 62.6 per 100,000 in 2023/24, while there were 7.8 admissions per 100,000 for white people. Asian patients also had an increased rate of hospitalisation, with 26 admissions per 100,000.