WHO retires “Benign” from “Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis” for final ICD-10 release

February 20, 2020 by

Post #357 Shortlink: https://wp.me/pKrrB-56g

In my report for the December edition of the ME Global Chronicle, I set out how the G93.3 terms:

Postviral fatigue syndrome

Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis

Chronic fatigue syndrome

are classified in the World Health Organization’s international version of ICD-10 and how these terms have been classified for ICD-11.

I have an update on ICD-10 and it’s good news!

In January, the WHO released ICD-10 Version: 2019. With ICD-11 on the horizon, this release will be the final update for the WHO’s international version of ICD-10, apart from corrections and exceptional additions.

In March 2016, a representative from the Canadian Institute for Health Information submitted a request and supporting rationale to the ICD-10 Update and Revision Committee (URC) for removal of the prefix “Benign” from “Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis”.

This request for a change was approved by the URC in September 2016 for implementation in the next release. 

For ICD-10 Version: 2019, the G93.3 Tabular List inclusion term is now Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

(The term, “Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis” has been retained as an Index term.)

 

View the revised listing for the G93.3 codes on the ICD-10 Browser, here: https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/G93.3 or in the screenshot, below.

Note that for ICD-10, Chronic fatigue syndrome is not included in the Tabular List but is included in Volume 3: Index, where it is coded to the G93.3 Postviral fatigue syndrome concept title term.

For ICD-11, the WHO has retained Postviral fatigue syndrome as the concept title term in Chapter 08: Diseases of the nervous system under parent: Other disorders of the nervous system. The new code for ICD-11 is: 8E49.

Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis and Chronic fatigue syndrome are both specified as inclusion terms under Postviral fatigue syndrome in ICD-11’s equivalent to the Tabular List and take the 8E49 code. A number of historical and alternative terms are retained as index terms and all 14 index terms are coded to 8E49.

 

This is how the G93.3 terms are classified for ICD-10 Version: 2019:

Image 1: ICD-10 Browser Version: 2019, Accessed February 20, 2020: https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/G93.3

Image location: https://dxrevisionwatch.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/meicd1019.png

 

The WHO expects Member States to be using the most recent release of ICD-10. But countries will implement the ICD-10 Version: 2019 release according to their own schedules. 

NHS England and ICD-10:

NHS England currently uses ICD-10 Version: 2016. I have contacted NHS Digital’s classifications lead to establish whether NHS Digital intends to implement Version: 2019 or may be considering skipping the new release in preference to implementing ICD-11, at some point in the future.

If there is no mechanism for incorporating selected changes in a new release into earlier versions, NHS England might not be able to absorb this change into the version it is using.

 

Will this change be absorbed automatically for ICD-11?

This revision for the final release of ICD-10 sets a precedent for the national modifications of ICD-10, for example, the U.S. ICD-10-CM and Canadian ICD-10-CA, but also for ICD-11. 

Proposals submitted in March 2017 by Chapman & Dimmock, and by the IACFS/ME for removing “Benign” from “Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis” were rejected by the WHO in early 2019.

In February, I submitted a new proposal for removal of the “Benign” prefix for ICD-11 citing the URC’s 2016 decision and the implementation of that decision for the final release of ICD-10.

You can read a copy of my new proposal and rationale here: http://bit.ly/BenignICD11

I have updated the PDF included in my report in the December edition of the ME Global Chronicle to reflect this change:

Download the PDF of my updated report here:

Update on the classification of PVFS, ME and CFS for ICD-11 Report One | November 2019 | v3 18/02/20

 

An edited version of this report is scheduled for publication in the March edition of the ME Global Chronicle.

Filed under Chronic fatigue syndrome, Diagnostic classification, Disorder of the nervous system, ICD-10, ICD-10-AM, ICD-10-CM, ICD-11, International Classification of Diseases, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), WHO (World Health Organization) Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

ICD-11: Recently processed proposals for Postviral fatigue syndrome, ME, CFS; Fatigue; and Bodily distress disorder

April 30, 2019 by

Post #350 Shortlink: https://wp.me/pKrrB-4Nz

ICD-11 endorsement

Next month, the World Health Organization (WHO) intends to present a stable version of ICD-11 to the 72nd World Health Assembly for member state endorsement.

The WHO Executive Board will submit a Resolution for adoption of what it describes as a “preparation for implementation” version of the ICD-11 Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (ICD-11 MMS).

#WHA72 Geneva May 22–28, 2019 

Website: SEVENTY-SECOND WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY

Two key documents:

Provisional Agenda Item 12.7 (A72/29): ICD-11 Report by the Director-General

(A72/29 Add.1): Draft Resolution for adoption of ICD-11

If adopted, endorsement would not come into effect until 1 January 2022.

After that date, member states can begin reporting data using the ICD-11 code sets when their countries have prepared their health systems for transition and implemented the new edition.

There is no mandatory date by which member states must migrate to the new edition and for a period of time, data will be collected and aggregated using both ICD-10 and ICD-11. It’s anticipated that even the earliest implementers will take several years to prepare their countries for transition.

Update and revision

Once endorsed, ICD-11 will be subject to an annual update and revision process, as ICD-10 has been.

Minor changes to content can be considered for incorporation on an annual basis. Major changes would be considered for incorporation on a 5 yearly update cycle.

Responsibility for reviewing and processing proposals now lies with the Medical Scientific Advisory Committee (MSAC) and the Classifications and Statistics Advisory Committee (CSAC), which takes over from the ICD-10 Update and Revision Committee (URC). These committees are working through a backlog of proposals.

The ICD-11 Proposal Mechanism platform will remain online and open to stakeholders for new comments and new submissions for changes, additions and improvements. Submissions for changes will also be received from member states via the WHO-FIC Network.

[See ICD-11 Reference Guide: 3.8 Annex: ICD-11 Updating and Maintenance for information on the ICD-11 update and revision cycle and protocol for submission of new proposals.]

Recently processed proposals

Between February and April, this year, a number of proposals were processed.

These include proposals for Postviral fatigue syndrome, Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis and Chronic fatigue syndrome; proposals for Fatigue (was Malaise and fatigue in ICD-10); and proposals for Bodily distress disorder.

Proposals submitted before March 30, 2017 were supposed to have been reviewed before the end of 2017 for consideration for potential inclusion in the initial release of the ICD-11 MMS — but many of these weren’t processed, despite having met the submission deadline.

Proposals relating to Postviral fatigue syndrome and its inclusion terms were in any case put on hold while an evidence review was undertaken. This review was not completed until late 2018.

This batch of recently processed proposals includes proposals submitted by Suzy Chapman (since 2014); by Suzy Chapman and Mary Dimmock (March 2017); and by Lily Chu MD on behalf of the IACFS/ME (March 2017).

The proposal submitted by the WHO’s Dr Tarun Dua, in November 2017, to delete Postviral fatigue syndrome from the Diseases of the nervous system chapter and reclassify ME/CFS [sic] in the Symptoms, signs chapter as a child under Symptoms, signs or clinical findings of the musculoskeletal system was processed in November 2018.

The WHO rightly rejected Dr Dua’s proposal, in a decision supported by the MSAC and CSAC Committees.

Status of processed proposals at April 15, 2019:

In order to access the ICD-11 Proposal Mechanism registration with the platform is required and the platform is clunky to navigate.

For ease of access, I have created a table which sets out the outcome of these processed proposals for Postviral fatigue syndrome, Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis and Chronic fatigue syndrome; Fatigue; and Bodily distress disorder.

(If you already have v1 or v2 of this document, please replace with v3 below, as this document has been updated to include the approval of an exclusion for PVFS under Fatigue.)

Download PDF Table: Recently processed ICD-11 proposals v3

Extract:

ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (Version : 04 / 2019) version for preparing for implementation as it currently stands:

08 Diseases of the nervous system

8E49 Postviral fatigue syndrome

Filed under Bodily distress disorder, CFS, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Disorder of the nervous system, ICD-11 implementation, International Classification of Diseases, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Postviral fatigue syndrome, WHO (World Health Organization), World Health Assembly Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,