[The international classification of WHO diseases (ICD-10) and its application in neurology (ICD-10 NA)]

Rev Neurol (Paris). 1994 Dec;150(12):813-22.
[Article in French]

Abstract

The 10th Revision of the International Disease Classification (ICD-10) was published in English in September 1992 and in French in January 1993. Chapter VI (main code G) deals with diseases of the nervous system. There are 11 chapters covering the main categories of aetiologies. The subdivisions designated by the three-character codes are used to define the main diagnostic categories as divided according to aetiology, localization or symptoms. The three-character codes so formed are the legal basis for codifying causes of death in all the member states of the WHO. Supplementary 4-digit codes can be used for more precise definitions of morbidity; ICD-10 NA, the Application to Neurology, is a detailed classification of diseases of neurological origin or expression, based on the original ICD-10. Thus it also contains a table of inclusion and exclusion terms and a detailed alphabetical index. The inclusion terms are names of diseases, affections or syndromes associated with each ICD code. The exclusion terms are listed so that the disease in question is classified elsewhere. Thus it is easy to find the correct category even for similar or related diseases which may be classified in different chapters of the ICD-10 NA. The coding system of the ICD-10 NA is exactly the same as for the ICD-10 since cross-referencing requires that specialization classifications such as the ICD-10 NA derived from the ICD must have the same 3 and 4 digit codes as those in the original ICD-10. Within these limits, the 5th, 6th and 7th digits of the subdivision codes, and the generalization of multiple coding used to describe both aetiologies and manifestations, have greatly increased the discriminating power and precision of neurological diseases classification based on the parent ICD.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Disease / classification*
  • Epidemiology*
  • Global Health*
  • Humans
  • Morbidity
  • Mortality
  • Nervous System Diseases / classification*
  • World Health Organization*