Sequelae, consequences and side effects
Advice on health categories
Research aimed at investigating sequelae of a specific pre-existing disease should be assigned equal percentage weighting to the primary existing condition and to the condition under investigation.
e.g. Cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients should be coded as 50% Cardiovascular and 50% Metabolic and Endocrine.
Studies of the side effects of a disease, where the condition under study is a downstream consequence of an original condition, are treated similarly.
e.g. A study into depression as a result of cancer should be coded 50% Mental Health and 50% Cancer.
e.g. Studies of post natal depression should be coded as 50% Mental Health and 50% Reproduction.
Studies of the direct side effects of a disease treatment are usually coded in the same way.
e.g. A study of bowel injury resulting from radiotherapy for cancer is coded 50% Cancer and 50% Oral and Gastrointestinal.
In some cases, however, it may not be appropriate to code for the pre-existing disease.
e.g. If a particular disease is being used as an exemplar for studying the side effects of a treatment, such as studies of generalisable anti-nausea drugs.
There is also additional guidance available for diseases used as case studies and co-morbidities.
Main inclusion criteria
Fertility, contraception, abortion, in vitro fertilisation, pregnancy, mammary gland development, menstruation and menopause, breast feeding, antenatal care, childbirth, postnatal care and complications of newborns.
Advice on health categories
Includes studies of ante and post natal care such as issues affecting newborns.
Includes studies of the effects of exposure to factors while in utero if focussed on the foetus or newborns. If the study is about the long term effects on children or adults, where the foetus is not involved in the investigation, the Reproductive Health and Childbirthcategory should not be used.
Studies of sexual health should be coded 50% Reproductive Health and Childbirth and 50% Infection, unless the study involves a specified pathogenic agent (such studies should be coded as 100% Infection).
May include studies of reproductive hormones.
Excludes basic developmental studies in non-human models.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Reproductive health and childbirth | Reproduction |
HRCS_HC_16REP |
Related external links
International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10 v2016) – Chapter XV: Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99)
International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10 v2016) – Chapter XVI: Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96)
Main inclusion criteria
Inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, diseases of the mouth, teeth, oesophagus, digestive system including liver and colon, and normal oral and gastrointestinal development and function.
Advice on health categories
Includes dental research and studies on the mouth, throat, stomach, liver, pancreas (not diabetes/insulin related), gut and colon.
Also suitable for problems linked to food absorption by the gut.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short Name | Unique ID |
| Oral and gastrointestinal | Oral |
HRCS_HC_14ORA |
Related external links
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
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
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
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)
Main inclusion criteria
Haematological diseases, anaemia, clotting (including thromboses and venous embolisms) and normal development and function of platelets and erythrocytes
Advice on health categories
Not all haemopoietic cells or ‘blood cells’ are erythrocytes (red blood cells). This term is often used to encompass lymphocytes, macrophages, granulocytes and other white cell types. Check the context of the research.
e.g. if the research relates to leukaemia it will be referring to lymphocytes etc. and not to erythrocytes and therefore should be coded as Cancer and not be coded as Blood.
Studies investigating blood flow to the brain should be coded as Stroke.
Blood clots (thromboses) can lead to wider cardiovascular complications and stroke. In these circumstances code to the primary condition of focus ignoring pathogenesis, but following rules for sequelae where appropriate.
Official terminology
|
Full name of category |
Short name | Unique ID |
| Blood | Blood |
HRCS_HC_01BLO |
Related external links