For non-definitive conditions like toothaches or abdominal pain, Black patients were about half as likely to receive opioid prescriptions as White patients.
"This study unfortunately tells us what we already know: black patients are improperly treated for pain and that is mostly because of their skin colour," said Prof Keisha Ray, the lead author.
Patients with sickle cell disease, predominantly affecting people of African descent, face similar challenges.
A 2021 Sickle Cell Society report found patients routinely faced inadequate care and underestimated pain in emergency departments.
Disparities extend into chronic pain management.
A March 2026 study of 1,648 US adults with chronic lower back pain revealed Black patients reported more severe and disruptive pain than White patients, even after adjusting for socioeconomic variables.
"Our study aimed to disentangle the effects of race and social disadvantage on outcomes such as pain intensity, disability, and quality of life," said Dr John Licciardone from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
"These findings are striking because they highlight that racial pain disparities are impacted by sociocultural factors and are not simply the result of genetic or biological differences."
A King's College London study on Parkinson's disease showed 83% of White patients received pain relief compared to 48% of Black and 43% of Asian patients.
The opioid prescription gap was stark: 43% of White patients received them versus just 4% of Black and Asian patients.
In oncology and palliative care, University of Hull research found cancer patients in England from Black, South Asian, mixed, and other ethnic backgrounds received fewer opioid prescriptions and lower doses than White patients, regardless of age or cancer type.
Jonathan Koffman, a professor of palliative care and lead researcher, noted this was the first population-based study in England examining ethnicity and opioid prescribing for cancer pain in the final three months of life.
"Adequate pain relief is a human right. Up to 90% of cancer patients experience pain as they near the end of life," Koffman stated.
"We found that people from minority ethnic backgrounds were less likely to receive prescriptions for opioids compared with those who are white.
Among those prescribed opioids, the doses given were also lower."
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The study also found minority ethnic patients experienced more frequent emergency department visits and hospital admissions during their final months, indicating undertreated pain within the community.
