Metabolic and endocrine
Main inclusion criteria
Metabolic disorders (including Diabetes) and normal metabolism and endocrine development and function. This includes all research on the pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands.
Advice on health categories
This category includes basic studies of metabolism but not generic signalling pathways involving kinases.
This includes studies of metabolic regulation – the means by which nutrients are converted into energy – and the conditions which affect the ability of these processes to be carried out. For example regulation of blood lipids and cholesterol are classified as Metabolic and Endocrine.
Studies on nutrition, diet and obesity and/or physical activity and exercise are context based and should only be coded as Metabolic if they relate to metabolism.
e.g. diet and exercise interventions specifically aimed at reducing cholesterol levels.
This category also includes normal function and disorders of the endocrine system, including pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands, and most hormones and hormone receptor studies. There are however some notable exceptions:
- Studies of reproductive hormones, including their role in fertility, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, are usually coded as Reproductive Health and Childbirth and not Metabolic. Studies relating to the development of male and female reproductive organs should be coded as Renal and Urogenital.
- Studies of the pancreas and its role in metabolism, including regulation of blood sugar and Diabetes, should be coded as Metabolic. Studies of the pancreas and its role in digestion, including pancreatic juices, should be coded as Oral and Gastrointestinal.
- Studies of the hypothalamus and its role in metabolism should be coded as Metabolic. Studies of the hypothalamus as part of the brain and central nervous system should be coded as Neurological.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Metabolic and endocrine | Metabolic |
HRCS_HC_11MET |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Physical abnormalities and syndromes that are not associated with a single type of disease or condition including Down’s syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
Advice on health categories
Includes physical malformation and congenital syndromes that are associated with multiple diseases and conditions.
Excludes inherited single disease disorders (even when referred to as ‘congenital’) which should be coded under the appropriate Health Category.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Congenital | Congenital |
HRCS_HC_04CON |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Depression, schizophrenia, psychosis and personality disorders, addiction, suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, learning disabilities, bipolar disorder, autistic spectrum disorders and studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour.
Advice on health categories
Mental Health should be used for all normal cognitive research categorised to 1.2 Psychological i.e. behaviour learning, memory, language, perception etc.
Studies dealing with the brain of individuals with a psychological condition listed in the Mental Health category should be coded as 100% Mental Health and not as Neurological.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Mental health | Mental |
HRCS_HC_10MEN |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Fractures, poisoning and burns.
Advice on health categories
This category is designed to capture research directly relating to external accidents, injuries and physical trauma and should not include endogenous studies of damage such as ischemic injury.
Intervention studies preventing or treating falls should be coded to Injuries and Accidents. It may be appropriate to also code for specific conditions if the study involves a particular patient group.
Excludes studies of wound healing, unless the wound was acquired by accident.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Injuries and accidents | Injuries |
HRCS_HC_09INJ |
Related external links
International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10 v2016) – Chapter XIX: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)
International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10 v2016) – Chapter XX: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98)
Main inclusion criteria
Rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergies and normal development and function of the immune system.
Advice on health categories
Includes listed immune diseases and studies of normal immune response.
Also includes natural tolerance and immunity to infections. However studies involving the acute immune response to infection should be coded as Infection; in general, any research with a specified infectious / pathogenic agent should only be coded as Infection.
Most diseases are associated with an inflammatory response. In general, code to the disease under investigation and not to the accompanying inflammatory response. The most common examples of this approach are:
- Asthma – which should be coded as Respiratory. However studies of allergies in asthma sufferers can be coded as 50% Inflammatory and Immune System for allergies and 50% Respiratory for asthma.
- Atherosclerosis – which is coded as 100% Cardiovascular regardless of whether the investigation involves immune cells.
The exception to this rule is Sepsis, which should be coded 50% Infection and 50% Inflammatory and Immune System.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Inflammatory and immune system | Immune |
HRCS_HC_08IMM |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Diseases caused by pathogens, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, sexually transmitted infections and studies of infection and infectious agents.
Advice on health categories
Infection should be used for all research on pathogens and diseases caused by infection. These studies should be coded as 100% Infection and should not also be coded to the target disease site.
e.g. infection by malaria parasite should be coded as 100% Infection and not Blood.
e.g. respiratory infections should be coded as 100% Infection and not Respiratory.
Studies involving acute immune response to infection should be coded as Infection. However studies of natural tolerance and immunity to infections should be coded as 100% Inflammatory and Immune System.
Excludes TSEs, CJD and prion studies which should be coded as 100% Neurological regardless of whether the study is investigating transmission or mechanism of disease.
Infections can often follow or precede other diseases or conditions. There is general guidance on sequelae and side effects of disease, but there are also several examples across the existing HRCS guidance where addition of further health categories would be recommended:
- Studies of the downstream consequences of infection may also be coded to the disease or condition under investigation.
- e.g. surgery on diseased liver from Hepatitis C infection should be coded as 50% Infection and 50% Oral and Gastrointestinal.
- Studies that involve infection of a specific target patient group should be coded as 50% Infection and 50% to the appropriate health category.
- e.g. respiratory infection in people with cystic fibrosis should be coded as 50% Infection and 50% Congenital Disorders.
- General studies on sexual health, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs), should be coded as 50% Infection and 50% Reproductive Health and Childbirth, but only if there is no named pathogen. If a pathogen is specified, use 100% Infection.
- e.g. Studies of total STI rate in teenagers should be coded as 50% Infection, 50% Reproduction.
- e.g. Studies of gonorrhea in teenagers should be coded as 100% Infection.
- Studies of cancer causing pathogens should be coded as 50% Cancer and 50% Infection.
- Sepsis should be coded as 50% Infection and 50% Inflammatory and Immune System.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Infection | Infection |
HRCS_HC_07INF |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Diseases of the eye and normal eye development and function.
Advice on health categories
Includes normal studies on this organ or the condition of blindness.
Studies that involve the optic nerve leading to the brain may be double coded as 50% Neurological and 50% Eye as appropriate.
Excludes mapping of vision in regions of the brain in which case the Neurological category should be applied.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Eye | Eye |
HRCS_HC_06EYE |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Deafness and normal ear development and function.
Advice on health categories
Includes normal studies on this organ or the condition of deafness.
Studies that involve the auditory nerve leading to the brain may be double coded as 50% Neurological and 50% Ear as appropriate.
Excludes mapping of hearing in regions of the brain in which case the Neurological category should be applied.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Ear | Ear |
HRCS_HC_05EAR |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
Coronary heart disease, diseases of the vasculature and circulation including the lymphatic system, and normal development and function of the cardiovascular system.
Advice on health categories
Includes general circulation research, vasculitis and general angiogenesis studies. Includes atherosclerosis and pulmonary hypertension. Includes congenital heart disorders. Excludes studies investigating blood flow to the brain which should be coded as Stroke. Excludes angiogenesis studies which relate to a diseased state (e.g. development of anti-angiogenic drugs to inhibit tumour growth which would be coded as Cancer).
Official terminology
| Full name of category | Short name | Unique ID |
| Cardiovascular | Cardio | HRCS_HC_03CAR |
Related external links
Main inclusion criteria
All types of neoplasms, including benign, potentially malignant, malignant (cancer) and canerous growths. This includes leukaemia and mesothelioma.
Advice on health categories
Do not code to the site of the cancer. However if the research involves studying a condition that predisposes to cancer then it may be appropriate to code for this condition as well.
e.g. The role of Barrett’s oesophagus in cancer would be 50% Oral and Gastrointestinal and 50% Cancer.
Similarly research on pathogens associated with the development of cancer should be coded as 50% Cancer and 50% Infection.
Studies of the normal role of oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes, and cell cycle checkpoints in a non diseased cell should be coded as 50% Generic Health Relevance and 50% Cancer.
Excludes general studies of angiogenesis which should be coded as Cardiovascular. However the development of anti-angiogenic drugs to inhibit tumour growth would be coded as Cancer.
Excludes normal studies of cell cycle and DNA replication and repair which should be coded as Generic.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Cancer | Cancer |
HRCS_HC_02CAN |
Related external links
International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10 v2016) – Chapter II: Neoplasms (C00-D48)