Black Rheumatology Providers in DC

Black women develop systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at 2 to 3 times the rate of white women and are more likely to develop lupus nephritis, the kidney complication that drives most lupus mortality (CDC, 2024). Black adults with RA face more erosive disease, and scleroderma is both more common and more severe. Rheumatologists also manage gout, which is twice as common in Black men, plus psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and vasculitis.

A 2019 Arthritis & Rheumatology study found delays in lupus diagnosis of 2 or more years were twice as common in Black patients, correlating with worse kidney outcomes.

Conditions we cover

• Systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis
• Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis)
• Gout and pseudogout
• Sjögren's, vasculitis, sarcoid-related arthritis

When to book

• Morning joint stiffness lasting over an hour
• Raynaud's (fingers turning white/blue in cold)
• Persistent butterfly-shaped facial rash
• Unexplained fever with joint pain

Advocacy prompts

• Do I need an ANA panel or anti-dsDNA and complements?
• Given my kidney involvement, what's my lupus nephritis plan?
• Am I a biologic or JAK-inhibitor candidate?