How many people are diagnosed with pernicious anaemia.

The exact number of people who have been diagnosed with pernicious anaemia in Scotland is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of patients consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for this condition based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). This sample covers the full range of age, sex, and deprivation classes existing in Scotland. Based on PTI, there were an estimated 12,200 patients who had a face-to-face consultation for pernicious anaemia in Scotland in the financial year 2009-10 (the latest year available), with a 95% confidence interval of 9,200 to 15,100.
PTI estimates of the rate of patients consulting should not be regarded as identical to the population prevalence of a given condition. This is because PTI measures active problems; a lifelong or previous condition will not be recorded unless the patient had a contact with the practice that was directly related to that condition. If, for example, someone with pernicious anaemia consults because of a cold and not because of their anaemia, their anaemia will not be coded as a reason for consultation.
The confidence intervals provided indicate the uncertainty around the estimate provided. These are reasonably wide, reflecting among other things considerable variation between practices. This indicates that the estimate provided is not exact and should be treated as approximate.