Nomenclature and Classification of Diseases

a list of names of diseases and pathological conditions, grouped according to specific criteria. The general acceptance of a nomenclature and classification of diseases is of great value because it permits the standardization and comparison of diagnoses and statistical analysis of clinical data on both a national and international scale. Modern nomenclature and classification of diseases is based on nosologic entities (see), which are combined into classes according to such criteria as the location of the disease process and the type of causative factor. In 1970 a classification of diseases was introduced in the Soviet Union based on the eighth revision of the International Classification of Diseases—Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death. The Soviet system specifies 17 classes of pathological conditions, divided into 1,047 categories, each of which contains at the most nine subcategories. A breakdown of the Soviet nomenclature and classification of diseases follows.

Class I—infective and parasitic diseases, including syphilis and other venereal diseases, tuberculosis, intestinal infections, viral diseases, and malaria.

Class II—neoplasms, including benign and malignant tumors of the hematopoietic tissues.

Class III—endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases.

Class IV—diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs.

Class V—mental disorders, including neuroses.

Class VI—inflammatory and hereditary diseases of the nervous system and sense organs.

Class VII—diseases of the circulatory system, including rheumatism, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular lesions, and diseases of the arteries and veins.

Class VIII—diseases of the respiratory system, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and influenza and other acute infections.

Class IX—diseases of the digestive system, that is, the jaw, mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

Class X—diseases of the genitourinary system.

Class XI—delivery and complications of pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium.

Class XII—diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Class XIII—diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the connective tissue, including arthritis and osteomyelitis.

Class XIV—congenital anomalies.

Class XV—certain diseases peculiar to newborn infants, including birth traumas and infections of newborns.

Class XVI—signs, symptoms, and ill-defined conditions, including insomnia and headaches.

Class XVII—injuries and adverse effects, which are classified both according to causes and types of lesions.