title: Prevalence of diagnosed adult immune thrombocytopenia in the United Kingdom.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data regarding the prevalence of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is limited, and is derived from North American population-based analyses. Therefore, the authors conducted the first study outside the United States (US) using the United Kingdom (UK) General Practice Research Database (GPRD) to estimate the adult prevalence of ITP in the UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study estimated the diagnosed prevalence of ITP in the adult population in UK using the GPRD from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unadjusted, overall 18-year period prevalence was 50.29/100,000 (95% CI: 48.51, 52.06). The age- and gender-adjusted, overall 18-year period prevalence was 50.00/100,000 (95% CI: 49.20, 50.90). ITP prevalence was lower in adults aged 18-49 years of age (30.09/100,000, 95% CI: 28.27, 31.90) than in older adults aged 50-64 years of age (58.22/100,000, 95% CI: 53.88, 62.57) or ≥65 years of age (93.80/100,000, 95% CI: 88.76, 98.85). Prevalence was higher among females (59.32/100,000, 95% CI: 56.63, 62.01) than in males (40.66/100,000, 95% CI: 38.36, 42.96). Prevalence in the GPRD increased over time (1992 [16.33/100,000, 95% CI: 13.70, 19.00], 2000 [36.93/100,000, 95% CI: 34.50, 39.30], and 2009 [58.49/100,000, 95% CI: 55.80, 61.20]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new analysis of general practice in the UK provides robust prevalence estimates of diagnosed ITP among adults in Europe. ITP prevalence is higher in women and increases with age and over time.
authors.affiliation: Worldwide Epidemiology, Research and Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA 19146, USA. dimitri.2.bennett@gsk.com
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: M Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Logie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult