NLSY79 Attachment 8: Health Codes

NLSY79 Attachment 8: Health Codes

General Information on Health Codes

Health Conditions Related to Work Limitations (1979-2000)

The health sections of the NLSY79 surveys for most interview years between 1979-2000 elicited reports of health problems that limited the amount or kind of work the respondent could do. These health problems are coded using a modified version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes taken from the World Health Organization, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, 2 vols., WHO, Geneva, 1977 (vol. 1) and 1978 (vol. 2).

The health consolidation codes present in 1979, 1981 and 1982 represent the most complete description possible of the respondent's main cause of limitation in work gathered from a reading of the whole health section. They were also coded using the modified ICD-9 codes after the rest of the health section has been coded. The health consolidation codes, thus, represent the (proximal) description of the respondent's main cause of limitation in work, and not an underlying cause (remote) preceding the current complaint.

As originally coded, the untruncated NLSY79 health codes corresponded to the ICD-9 codes with the decimal point deleted, except for the supplemental V and E ICD-9 codes. The supplemental ICD-9 codes were modified by dropping the alpha code and adding the remaining numeric portion of the supplemental codes to a larger number. The following numeric conversion was made for the supplemental codes: V codes = 10000+ and E codes = 11000+. (Zero (0) means no health problem). The changes were necessary because alphas are not used as variable values in the NLSY79 data. These ICD-9 codes have then been collapsed further by truncating them by one digit.

A link to the ICD-9 is included below. The NLSY79 modified codes can be tracked back to general disease classifications in the ICD-9 scheme. The supplemental E and V codes and the medical terms associated with them appear in Tables 2-3 below. For more detail, see the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.

40+, 50+ and 60+ Biological Parent and Respondent Health Conditions  (1998-2020)

With the addition of the 40+ Health Module in 1998, questions collecting health conditions for the biological parents of respondents have been asked of the appropriate cohort each round. This has continued with the subsequent 50+ and 60+ Health Modules. In the 50+ and 60+ Health Modules, respondents also have had the opportunity to report any other information they wanted to about their own health. 

The major health conditions of respondents’ biological parents collected in the 40+, 50+ and 60+ Health Modules are coded using the CDC, National Vital Statistics System 113 List, contained in Table 1 below. These are taken from the National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 65, no 2 (2/16/2016), and can be found online at cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr65/nvsr65_02.pdf.

Parts of Body Affected by Work-Limiting Health Conditions and Reported Cancer (1979-2018)

A set of numeric codes for parts of the body was developed by NORC for the 1979-1981 health sections. These codes are contained in Table 4. They have been used to code parts of the body affected by work-related  injuries/illnesses mentioned above. Additionally, respondents have been asked to report cancer diagnoses and parts of the body affected by these cancers in the 40+, 50+ and 60+ Health Modules. The same codes have been applied to parts of the body affected by cancer.

National Death Index (NDI) Data

The round 29 (2020) data release contains information regarding cause, dates and location of death for deceased respondents for whom a matching death certificate was returned from an NDI search. Most of these variables are limited to the geocode and zipcode releases. Data for a subset of NLSY79 respondents was submitted for an NDI search. The subset included respondents identified as deceased during survey field periods and respondents who have proven difficult to locate or have not been interviewed for a period of time with no confirmation of their status. In order to maximize the possibility of an NDI death certificate match, multiple submissions were made for individual respondents whenever possible. These multiple submissions could include elements such as maiden names, different married names, nicknames and various multiple ethnicities reported by the respondent, any of which might appear in various combinations on a death certificate. Individual respondent records, interviewer notes and administrative data were examined in conjunction with NDI search results to determine those for which valid matches could be established. Related variables are found in the NDI VERIFICATION area of interest. Table 1 below depicts the coding scheme used for the underlying cause of death, found on the 2020 public data release. See also the Health section for information on NDI-related variables.

Table 1: CDC – National Vital Statistics System 113 List (A conversion crosswalk from the ICD-10 health codes and the National Vital Statistics System 113 List codes can be accessed in the file ICD-10 to National Vital Statistics 113 List Crosswalk.xlsx

1 – Salmonella infections

57 - Major cardiovascular diseases: Other heart diseases: Diseases of pericardium and acute myocarditis

2 – Shigellosis and amebiasis

58 - Major cardiovascular diseases: Other heart diseases: Heart failure

3 – Certain other intestinal infections

59 - Major cardiovascular diseases: Other heart diseases: All other forms of heart disease

4 – Tuberculosis: Respiratory tuberculosis

60 – Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease

5 – Tuberculosis: Other tuberculosis

61 – Cerebrovascular diseases

6 – Whooping cough

62 – Atherosclerosis

7 – Scarlet fever and erysipelas

63 – Other diseases of circulatory system: Aortic aneurysm and dissection

8 – Meningococcal infection

64 – Other diseases of circulatory system: Other diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries

9 – Septicemia

65 – Other disorders of circulatory system

10 – Syphilis

66 – Influenza and pneumonia: Influenza

11 – Acute poliomyelitis

67 – Influenza and pneumonia: Pneumonia

12 – Arthropod-borne viral encephalitis

68 – Other acute lower respiratory infections: Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis

13 – Measles

69 – Other acute lower respiratory infections: Other and unspecified acute lower respiratory infections

14 – Viral hepatitis

70 – Chronic lower respiratory diseases: Bronchitis, chronic and unspecified

15 – Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease

71 – Chronic lower respiratory diseases: Emphysema

16 – Malaria

72 – Chronic lower respiratory diseases: Asthma

17 – Other and unspecified infectious and parasitic diseases and their sequelae

73 – Chronic lower respiratory diseases: Other chronic lower respiratory diseases

18 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lip, oral cavity and pharynx

74 – Pneumoconioses and chemical effects

19 - Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of esophagus

75 – Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids

20 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of stomach

76 – Other diseases of respiratory system

21 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of colon, rectum and anus

77 – Peptic ulcer

22 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts

78 – Diseases of appendix

23 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of pancreas

79 – Hemia

24 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of larynx

80 – Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: Alcoholic liver disease

25 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung

81 – Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: Other chronic liver disease and cirrhosis

26 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant melanoma of skin

82 - Cholelithiasis and other disorders of gallbladder

27 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of breast

83 – Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: Acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome

28 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri

84 – Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: Chronic glomerulonephritis, nephritis and nephropathy not specified as acute or chronic and renal sclerosis unspecified

29 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of corpus uteri and uterus, part unspecified

85 – Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: Renal failure

30 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of ovary

86 – Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: Other disorders of kidney

31 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of prostate

87 – Infections of kidney

32 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of kidney and renal pelvis

88 – Hyperplasia of prostate

33 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasm of bladder

89 – Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs

34 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of meninges, brain and other parts of central nervous system

90 – Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium: Pregnancy with abortive outcome

35 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue: Hodgkin’s disease

91 – Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium: Other complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium

36 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue:Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

92 – Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period

37 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue:Leukemia

93 – Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities

38 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue:Multiple myeloma and immunoproliferative neoplasms

94 – Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified

39 – Malignant neoplasms: Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue:Other and unspecified malignant neoplasms of lymphois, hematopoietic and related tissue

95 – All other diseases

40 – All other and unspecified malignant neoplasms

96 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Transport accidents: Motor vehicle accidents

41 – In situ neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior

97 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Transport accidents: Other land transport accidents

42 – Anemias

98 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Transport accidents: Water, air and space, and other and unspecified transport accidents and their sequelae

43 – Diabetes mellitus

99 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Falls

44 – Nutritional deficiencies: Malnutrition

100 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Accidental discharge of firearms

45 – Nutritional deficiencies: Other nutritional deficiencies

101 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Accidental drowning and submersion

46 – Meningitis

102 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Accidental exposure to smoke, fire and flames

47 – Parkinson’s disease

103 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Accidental poisoning and exposure to noxious substances

48 – Alzheimer’s disease

104 – Accidents (unintentional injuries): Nontransport accidents: Other and unspecified nontransport accidents and their sequelae

49 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Diseases of heart: Acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease

105 – Intentional self-harm (suicide): Intentional self-harm (suicide) by discharge of firearms

50 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Diseases of heart: Hypertensive heart and disease

106 – Intentional self-harm (suicide): Intentional self-harm (suicide) by other and unspecified means the their sequelae

51 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Diseases of heart: Hypertensive heart and renal disease

107 – Assault (homicide): Assault (homicide) by discharge of firearms

52 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Ischemic heart diseases: Acute myocardial infarction

108 – Assault (homicide): Assault (homicide) by other and unspecified means the their sequelae

53 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Ischemic heart diseases: Other acute ischemic heart diseases

109 – Legal Intervention

54 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Ischemic heart diseases: Other forms of chronic ischemic heart diseases: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described

110 – Events of undetermined intent: Discharge of firearms, undetermined intent

55 – Major cardiovascular diseases: Ischemic heart diseases: Other forms of chronic ischemic heart diseases: All other forms of chronic ischemic heart disease

111 – Events of undetermined intent: Other and unspecified events of undetermined intent and their sequelae

56 - Major cardiovascular diseases: Other heart diseases: Acute and subacute endocarditis

112 – Operations of war and their sequelae

 

113 – Complications of medical and surgical care

Modified ICD-9 Codes: The ICD-9 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd9.htm as well as through many other online resources.  With the exception of the E and V codes (see tables below), the truncated codes contained in the NLSY79 data for health conditions affecting ability to work map directly to general disease classifications in the ICD-9 codes.

Table 2: Modified V Codes

Supplementary Classification of Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services

1001 - 1007 Persons with potential health hazards related to communicable diseases

1040 - 1049 Persons with a condition influencing their health status

1010 - 1019 Persons with potential health hazards related to personal and family history

1050 - 1059 Persons encountering health services for specific procedures and aftercare

1020 - 1028 Persons encountering health services in circumstances related to reproduction and development

1060 - 1068 Persons encountering health services in other circumstances

1030 - 1039 Healthy liveborn infants according to birth type

1070 - 1082 Persons without reported diagnosis encountered during examination and investigation of individuals and populations

Table 3: Modified E Codes

Supplementary Classification of External Causes of Injury and Poisoning

1180 - 1180 Railway accidents

1188 - 1188 Accidental falls

1181 - 1181 Motor vehicle traffic accidents

1189 - 1189 Accidents caused by fire and flames

1182 - 1182 Motor vehicle nontraffic accidents

1190 - 1190 Accidents due to natural and environmental factors

1182 - 1182 Other road vehicle accidents

1191 - 1191 Accidents caused by submersion, suffocation and foreign bodies

1183 - 1183 Water transport accidents

1191 - 1192 Other accidents and late effects of accidental injury

1184 - 1184 Air and space transport accidents

1193 - 1194 Drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use

1184 - 1184 Vehicle accidents not elsewhere classifiable

1195 - 1195 Suicide and self-inflicted injury

1185 - 1185 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biologicals

1196 - 1196 Homicide and injury purposely inflicted by other persons

1186 - 1186 Accidental poisoning by other solid and liquid substances, gases and vapours

1197 - 1197 Legal intervention

1187 - 1187 Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care

1198 - 1198 Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted

1187 - 1187 Surgical and medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of patient or later complication

1199 - 1199 Injury resulting from operations of war

Table 4: Codes for Parts of Body in Health Section

01 Brain, CNS, spinal cord

49 Penis

02 Peripheral nervous system

50 Other male reproductive system; scrotum; vas deferens; testes

03 Emotions, "nerves"

51 Breast, nipple

04 Heart

52 Vulva, clitoris

05 Blood, spleen

53 Vagina, cervix, uterus

06 Vascular system

54 Other female reproductive system; fallopian tubes; ovaries

07 Lymphatic system, lymph glands

55 Menstruation

08 Pituitary gland

56 Skin

09 Thyroid gland

57 Hair

10 Adrenal gland

58 Scalp

11 Other endocrine glands; endocrine system; pineal gland; parathyroid gland; thymus

59 Nails

12 Eye

60 Head, skull

13 Vision

61 Face, forehead, lips

14 Lacrimal gland and duct

62 Jaw

15 Eyelid

63 Chin

16 Ear (inner and outer)

64 Neck, cervical vertebrae

17 Hearing

65 Back, dorsal spine

18 Nose

66 Low back, lumbar spine

19 Smell

67 Trunk

20 Tonsils and adenoids

68 Chest

21 Sinus

69 Chest wall, external chest; axilla

22 Vocal cords, larynx

70 Collarbone

23 Speech

71 Ribs

24 Throat, pharynx

72 Side, flank

25 Lung, trachea and bronchi

73 Shoulder

26 Breathing

74 Arm

27 Mouth and tongue

75 Upper arm

28 Gums

76 Elbow

29 Teeth

77 Lower arm

30 Esophagus

78 Wrist

31 Stomach

79 Hand (palm)

32 Upper digestive tract

81 Fingers

33 Liver

82 Pelvis

34 Biliary tract

83 Groin

35 Gallbladder

84 Buttocks

36 Pancreas

85 Hip

37 Abdomen

86 Leg

38 Upper abdomen

87 Upper leg, thigh

39 Lower abdomen

88 Knee, kneecap

40 Intestine and colon

89 Lower leg

41 Rectum

90 Ankle

42 Anus

91 Foot

43 Lower digestive tract

92 Toes

44 Digestive system

93 Muscles, tendons, ligaments NOS *

45 Kidneys

94 Bone(s) NOS

46 Bladder

95 Joints NOS

47 Prostate

96 "Entire body"

48 Other genitourinary tract; urethra; ureter

80 Other NOS

 

NOTE: NOS stands for "not otherwise specified"