Nosology
Encyclopedia
Nosology is a branch of medicine
that deals with classification
of disease
s.
(cause), pathogenesis
(mechanism
by which the disease is caused), or by symptom
(s). Alternatively, diseases may be classified according to the organ system involved, though this is often complicated since many diseases affect more than one organ.
A chief difficulty in nosology is that diseases often cannot be defined and classified clearly, especially when etiology or pathogenesis are unknown. Thus diagnostic terms often only reflect a symptom or set of symptoms (syndrome
).
Najab ud-din Unhammad classified a nosology of nine major categories of mental disorders, which included 30 different mental illnesses in total. Some of the categories he described included obsessive-compulsive disorder
s, delusional disorder
s, degenerative disease
s, involutional melancholia
, and states of abnormal excitement.
In the 18th century, the taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus
, Francois Boissier de Sauvages
, and psychiatrist Phillipe Pinel developed an early classification of physical illnesses. Thomas Sydenham
's work in the late 17th century might also be considered a nosology. In the 19th century, Emil Kraepelin
and then Jacques Bertillon
developed their own nosologies. Bertillon's work, classifying causes of death
, was a precursor of the modern code system, the International Classification of Diseases
.
The early nosological efforts grouped disease
s by their symptom
s, whereas modern systems (e.g. SNOMED) focus on grouping diseases by the anatomy
and etiology
involved.
:Category:Diseases and disorders (Wikipedia's categorization of diseases)
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
that deals with classification
Medical classification
Medical classification, or medical coding, is the process of transforming descriptions of medical diagnoses and procedures into universal medical code numbers...
of disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s.
Types of classification
Diseases may be classified by etiologyEtiology
Etiology is the study of causation, or origination. The word is derived from the Greek , aitiologia, "giving a reason for" ....
(cause), pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...
(mechanism
Mechanism (biology)
In biology --and in science in general-- a mechanism is a complex object or, more generally, a process that produces a regular phenomenon. For example, natural selection is one of the mechanisms of biological evolution, other being genetic drift, biased mutation, and gene flow; competition,...
by which the disease is caused), or by symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
(s). Alternatively, diseases may be classified according to the organ system involved, though this is often complicated since many diseases affect more than one organ.
A chief difficulty in nosology is that diseases often cannot be defined and classified clearly, especially when etiology or pathogenesis are unknown. Thus diagnostic terms often only reflect a symptom or set of symptoms (syndrome
Syndrome
In medicine and psychology, a syndrome is the association of several clinically recognizable features, signs , symptoms , phenomena or characteristics that often occur together, so that the presence of one or more features alerts the physician to the possible presence of the others...
).
History
One of the earliest efforts at developing a classification of diseases began in the 10th century, when the Arabian psychologistIslamic psychology
Islamic psychology translates the term ʿIlm al-Nafs the science of the Nafs and refers to the medical and philosophical study of the psyche from an Islamic perspective...
Najab ud-din Unhammad classified a nosology of nine major categories of mental disorders, which included 30 different mental illnesses in total. Some of the categories he described included obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
s, delusional disorder
Delusional disorder
Delusional disorder is an uncommon psychiatric condition in which patients present with circumscribed symptoms of non-bizarre delusions, but with the absence of prominent hallucinations and no thought disorder, mood disorder, or significant flattening of affect...
s, degenerative disease
Degenerative disease
A degenerative disease, also called neurodegenerative disease, is a disease in which the function or structure of the affected tissues or organs will progressively deteriorate over time, whether due to normal bodily wear or lifestyle choices such as exercise or eating habits...
s, involutional melancholia
Involutional melancholia
Involutional melancholia or involutional depression is a traditional name for a psychiatric disorder affecting mainly elderly or late middle-aged people, usually accompanied with paranoia...
, and states of abnormal excitement.
In the 18th century, the taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, Francois Boissier de Sauvages
François Boissier de Sauvages de Lacroix
François Boissier de Sauvages de Lacroix was a French physician and botanist who was a native of Alès. He studied medicine and botany at the University of Montpellier, and received his doctorate in 1726. After spending a few years in Paris, he returned to Montpellier in 1734, where became...
, and psychiatrist Phillipe Pinel developed an early classification of physical illnesses. Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham was an English physician. He was born at Wynford Eagle in Dorset, where his father was a gentleman of property. His brother was Colonel William Sydenham. Thomas fought for the Parliament throughout the English Civil War, and, at its end, resumed his medical studies at Oxford...
's work in the late 17th century might also be considered a nosology. In the 19th century, Emil Kraepelin
Emil Kraepelin
Emil Kraepelin was a German psychiatrist. H.J. Eysenck's Encyclopedia of Psychology identifies him as the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, as well as of psychopharmacology and psychiatric genetics. Kraepelin believed the chief origin of psychiatric disease to be biological and genetic...
and then Jacques Bertillon
Jacques Bertillon
Jacques Bertillon was a French statistician and demographer.Born in Paris, Bertillon was the son of statistician Louis Bertillon and the older brother of Alphonse Bertillon. He was educated as a physician but turned to statistical analysis. In 1880 he wrote La Statistique humaine en France...
developed their own nosologies. Bertillon's work, classifying causes of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, was a precursor of the modern code system, the International Classification of Diseases
ICD
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems is a medical classification that provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or disease...
.
The early nosological efforts grouped disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s by their symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
s, whereas modern systems (e.g. SNOMED) focus on grouping diseases by the anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and etiology
Etiology
Etiology is the study of causation, or origination. The word is derived from the Greek , aitiologia, "giving a reason for" ....
involved.
Applications
- Nosology is used extensively in public healthPublic healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, to allow epidemiologicalEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
studies of public health issues. Analysis of death certificateDeath certificateThe phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
s requires nosological coding of causes of death. - Nosological classifications are used in medical administration, such as filing of health insurance claims, and patient records, among others
See also
- Clinical coderClinical coderA clinical coder – also known as diagnostic coder, medical coder or medical records technician – is a health care professional whose main duties are to analyse clinical statements and assign standard codes using a classification system...
- Differential diagnosisDifferential diagnosisA differential diagnosis is a systematic diagnostic method used to identify the presence of an entity where multiple alternatives are possible , and may also refer to any of the included candidate alternatives A differential diagnosis (sometimes abbreviated DDx, ddx, DD, D/Dx, or ΔΔ) is a...
- International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health ProblemsICDThe International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems is a medical classification that provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or disease...
(ICD)- ICD-10ICD-10The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision is a medical classification list for the coding of diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or diseases, as maintained by the...
(ICD 10th Revision)
- ICD-10
- Medical classificationMedical classificationMedical classification, or medical coding, is the process of transforming descriptions of medical diagnoses and procedures into universal medical code numbers...
- PathologyPathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
(study of disease)
:Category:Diseases and disorders (Wikipedia's categorization of diseases)
External links
- Gordon L. Snider, Nosology for Our Day Its Application to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 167. pp. 678–683, (2003). fulltext
- C. S. Herrman, The Bipolar Spectrum, SSRN (Social Science Research Network, 5 August 2010), http://www.ssrn.com/author=510356
- Nosology.net: An online resource for nosologic diagnostic systems. This site also demonstrates how the proposed system can be used currently in Neurology and Psychiatry
- http://www.who.int/whosis/icd10/: International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization.