Adding classifications
SkillFiles & storageSkill for populating the `classifications` top-level block of a dismech Disease entry. Covers Harrison's Part assignment, mechanistic nosology, lysosomal storage, IUIS immunodeficiency, channelopathy, and ICD-O morphology fields, with a lookup table from common clinical phrasing to controlled-vocabulary keys.
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Then ask your AI: use the Adding classifications skill
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by monarch-initiative/dismech in .claude/skills/disease-classification/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
The classifications block carries multiple disease-taxonomy assignments,
each ranged by its own enum. Curators populate the slot(s) most relevant
to the disease — most entries will set harrisons_chapter plus zero or
more of the more specific category slots (mechanistic_category,
lysosomal_storage_category, etc.).
classifications:
harrisons_chapter:
- classification_value: ENDOCRINOLOGY_METABOLISM
- classification_value: GENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE
mechanistic_category:
- classification_value: tauopathy
All classification_value slots are enum-typed: free-text values will
fail schema validation. Use the controlled keys below.
Every slot in DiseaseClassifications renders on the disorder page
automatically — the Classifications card is generated from the schema,
labelled by each slot's LinkML title, and grouped by slot_group. You
do not need to touch the template when curating, and a slot you populate
will never silently fail to appear.
Harrison's Part (harrisons_chapter)
Despite the slot name, the controlled vocabulary lives at the Part
level of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (21st edition), not
at individual chapter granularity. The full enum is defined in
src/dismech/schema/dismech.yaml as HarrisonsChapterEnum. The slot is
multivalued — assign every Part that contains a relevant chapter.
Lookup table (common phrasings → enum key)
Use this table to translate the natural-language category you want to express into the right enum key.
| You want to say… | Use this key |
|---|---|
| cancer / solid tumor / leukemia / lymphoma / sarcoma | ONCOLOGY_HEMATOLOGY |
| hematologic malignancy / anemia / coagulation disorder | ONCOLOGY_HEMATOLOGY |
| bacterial / viral / fungal / parasitic / infectious disease | INFECTIOUS_DISEASES |
| cardiomyopathy / coronary / vascular / cardiac channelopathy | CARDIOVASCULAR |
| asthma / COPD / lung / allergic respiratory disease | RESPIRATORY |
| sepsis / ARDS / critical illness | CRITICAL_CARE |
| kidney / glomerular / electrolyte / urinary tract | KIDNEY_URINARY_TRACT |
| GI / hepatic / pancreatic / IBD / peptic | GASTROINTESTINAL |
| autoimmune / connective tissue / rheumatology / arthritis | IMMUNE_RHEUMATOLOGIC |
| musculoskeletal | IMMUNE_RHEUMATOLOGIC |
| diabetes / thyroid / adrenal / pituitary / metabolic | ENDOCRINOLOGY_METABOLISM |
| inborn error of metabolism (general) | ENDOCRINOLOGY_METABOLISM |
| neurodegenerative / movement disorder / epilepsy / stroke | NEUROLOGIC |
| psychiatric / demyelinating / neuromuscular | NEUROLOGIC |
| skin disorder | DERMATOLOGY |
| poisoning / overdose / envenomation | POISONING_ENVENOMATION |
| environmental exposure (altitude, radiation, hypothermia) | ENVIRONMENTAL_EXPOSURES |
| hereditary / RASopathy / ciliopathy / mitochondrial disease | GENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE |
| hearing loss / vestibular disorder | DISORDER_OF_EAR |
| symptom-defined entry (e.g., chronic pain, fatigue) | CARDINAL_MANIFESTATIONS |
| does not fit any Part | OTHER |
How to pick Parts
- Prefer the organ-system Part where Harrison's would publish the
primary chapter on the disease (e.g., asthma →
RESPIRATORY, notIMMUNE_RHEUMATOLOGIC). - Add a second Part when the disease has a major mechanistic axis
that Harrison's covers separately. Example: Familial Mediterranean
Fever →
IMMUNE_RHEUMATOLOGIC(primary clinical home) plusGENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE(Mendelian inheritance is a recurring theme). - Skeletal dysplasias and other hereditary musculoskeletal conditions
generally go to
GENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE. ReserveIMMUNE_RHEUMATOLOGICfor inflammatory / immune-mediated entities. - Cancers always go to
ONCOLOGY_HEMATOLOGY; an organ-system Part is optional and usually unnecessary unless the entry is about an organ-specific paraneoplastic syndrome.
Verifying the enum
uv run python -c "
import yaml
with open('src/dismech/schema/dismech.yaml') as f:
data = yaml.safe_load(f)
for k in data['enums']['HarrisonsChapterEnum']['permissible_values']:
print(k)
"
Other classification slots
The same classifications block accepts several more specific taxonomies
when they apply. All use classification_value: ranged by their own
enum.
mechanistic_category— pathway / mechanism-based nosology (tauopathy,synucleinopathy,proteotoxic disease,RASopathy,ciliopathy,mitochondrial disease,intermediate filament disease, etc.). Multivalued.lysosomal_storage_category— biochemical classification of lysosomal storage disorders (glycoproteinosis,disorder of glycogen metabolism, etc.). Single-valued.iuis_category— IUIS primary-immunodeficiency classification. Single-valued.channelopathy_category— organ-system grouping for channelopathies (cardiac channelopathy,neurological channelopathy, etc.). Single-valued.icdo_morphology— ICD-O cancer-morphology category. Apply to neoplastic entries. Single-valued. See the dedicated section below.icimd_category— International Classification of Inherited Metabolic Disorders (ICIMD) category/group. Apply to inherited metabolic disorders (inborn errors of metabolism). Multivalued. See the dedicated section below.isds_skeletal_category— ISDS Nosology group (2023 revision) for genetic skeletal disorders (skeletal dysplasias, dysostoses, metabolic bone disorders, skeletal malformation/reduction syndromes). Multivalued in the schema, but a single ISDS-listed disorder takes exactly one group. See the dedicated section below.ilo_agent_category/ilo_disease_category— the two orthogonal axes of the ILO List of Occupational Diseases (revised 2010). Apply to any disease with a recognised occupational form. Both multivalued.eu_occupational_category— item(s) of the European schedule of occupational diseases (Rec. 2003/670/EC as amended). Multivalued. See the dedicated section below.
ICD-O morphology (icdo_morphology)
A coarse histogenetic vocabulary for neoplastic entries. It is not a slot for four-digit ICD-O codes — there is nowhere in the schema to put one yet (monarch-initiative/dismech#7548).
The values
| Group | Values |
|---|---|
| Epithelial | Carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Adenoma, Trophoblastic Tumor, Mesothelial Neoplasm |
| Mesenchymal | Sarcoma, Pericytic Neoplasm |
| Neural / meningeal | Glioma, Nerve Sheath Neoplasm, Meningioma |
| Melanocytic | Melanoma |
| Germ cell / gonadal stromal | Germ Cell Tumor, Sex Cord-Stromal Tumor |
| Neuroendocrine | Neuroendocrine Neoplasm |
| Haematolymphoid | Leukemia, Lymphoma, Plasma Cell Neoplasm, Multiple Myeloma, Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Histiocytic and Dendritic Cell Neoplasm |
| Embryonal | Embryonal Neoplasm |
Picking one
- Match histogenesis, not site. Medulloblastoma is
Embryonal Neoplasm, notGlioma; meningioma isMeningioma, notGlioma. Both are intracranial and neither is glial. - Match histogenesis, not name. Embryonal carcinoma is a germ cell tumour
(
Germ Cell Tumor), notEmbryonal Neoplasm— that value covers the blastomas, CNS embryonal tumours and Wilms tumour. Merkel cell "carcinoma" and medullary thyroid "carcinoma" are neuroendocrine. - Most values are behaviour-neutral.
Nerve Sheath Neoplasm,Pericytic Neoplasm,Mesothelial Neoplasm,Sex Cord-Stromal Tumor,Trophoblastic TumorandNeuroendocrine Neoplasmall cover benign and malignant members. Assigning one asserts histogenesis, not malignancy. Where ICD-O splits a family on behaviour the values follow it — useAdenomafor a benign glandular neoplasm and never round it up toAdenocarcinoma. - Prefer the family over a split-out subtype unless the entry really is
that subtype.
Plasma Cell Neoplasmfor the family,Multiple Myelomafor myeloma itself; the same relation holds forCarcinomavsAdenocarcinoma. - Myeloid entries are not all
Leukemia. Polycythaemia vera, essential thrombocythaemia and primary myelofibrosis areMyeloproliferative Neoplasm; MDS isMyelodysplastic Syndrome.
When nothing fits
Omit the slot and say why — in the entry's notes or a CURATION_TODO
discussion. There is deliberately no Other value. Forcing a wrong value is
the failure mode this vocabulary keeps hitting (mesothelioma tagged
Carcinoma, polycythaemia vera tagged Leukemia), and the recorded omissions
are what tell us which family to add next — the 2026-08 expansion came
straight out of the notes on Glomus Tumor, Choriocarcinoma,
Pheochromocytoma-Paraganglioma and GNAS-related pituitary adenoma. Entries
still without a home include thymoma, chordoma, craniopharyngioma, the
odontogenic tumours and GIST; see
docs/reports/icdo-morphology-enum-review-2026-08-27.md.
Occupational disease (ilo_agent_category, ilo_disease_category, eu_occupational_category)
Two sanctioned occupational nosologies, plus six agent-level exposure axes
that do NOT go in this block. Full guidance:
docs/occupational-environmental-classifications.md.
First, the split that matters. classifications: classifies the disease.
Facts about the agent — IARC carcinogen group, GHS hazard class, route,
duration, hazard type, exposome domain — belong on the environmental: entry
under exposure_classifications:, never here. "Benzene is IARC Group 1" is a
statement about benzene, not about any disease it causes.
classifications:
harrisons_chapter:
- classification_value: RESPIRATORY
ilo_disease_category: # sections 2 and 4 -> disease-category axis
- classification_value: pneumoconiosis_from_fibrogenic_mineral_dust
notes: 'ILO List of Occupational Diseases (revised 2010), item 2.1.1.'
eu_occupational_category:
- classification_value: silicosis
notes: 'European schedule Annex I item 301.11 "Silicosis".'
environmental:
- name: Occupational Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposure
exposure_classifications: # <- agent-level, NOT in classifications:
hazard_agent_type:
- classification_value: CHEMICAL
exposure_route:
- classification_value: INHALATION
iarc_carcinogen_group:
classification_value: GROUP_1
Assign both nosologies when both apply — they are separate instruments, not substitutes, and neither implies the other. The EU schedule is finer-grained (separate items for silicosis 301.11 / asbestosis 301.21 / mesothelioma 301.22 where ILO has one item 2.1.1 plus a cancer item 3.1.1) and uniquely carries COVID-19 (408) and the 2025 asbestos additions (311–314).
The ILO list is biaxial — pick the slot by section. The two axes are separate slots over separate enums, so a value from one axis will not validate in the other's slot:
| ILO sections | Slot | Enum | Items name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (chemical/physical/biological agents), 3 (cancer) | ilo_agent_category | ILOCausativeAgentEnum | the agent |
| 2 (by target organ system), 4 (other diseases) | ilo_disease_category | ILODiseaseCategoryEnum | the disease |
A disease commonly takes one from each — occupational asthma from isocyanates is
both isocyanates (1.1.35, agent slot) and occupational_asthma (2.1.7,
disease slot). Both slots stay multivalued because more than one item from a
single axis is normal (silicosis takes 2.1.1 and 2.1.2). Do NOT carry the ISDS
"exactly one group" rule over to this instrument.
The three occupational slots share a LinkML slot_group
(occupational_classification), but that is display grouping only and enforces
nothing — the separate enum ranges are what bind each axis.
Assign only when an occupational form is recognised. An exposure existing is
not enough — lead poisoning from contaminated water is not ILO 1.1.8; lead
poisoning in a smelter worker is. A disease with both occupational and
non-occupational forms (asthma, COPD, mesothelioma, hearing loss) still takes the
item; the assignment records that an occupational form is recognised, not that
every case is occupational. Say which in notes.
Annex II is "suspected", not recognised. EU keys prefixed suspected_ come
from Annex II — the additional list of diseases suspected of being
occupational. Never report one as a recognised occupational disease; say so in
notes.
Record provenance in notes (revision, item number, annex). As with ICIMD and
ISDS this is a definitional taxonomy mapping, not an empirical disease claim, so
prefer notes over a manufactured evidence snippet.
Do NOT put the citing identifier for the instrument in notes prose — that
lives in the schema, on the enum's source: metaslot. The eight European items
added by the 2022 and 2025 amendments additionally carry a per-value source:,
so if a value has its own source it is a recent addition.
Worked examples: Silicosis, Asbestosis, Malignant_Mesothelioma,
Noise_Induced_Hearing_Loss.
ICIMD (icimd_category) — inherited metabolic disorders
For inherited metabolic disorders, assign the ICIMD category/group from
ICIMDEnum (defined in src/dismech/schema/classifications/icimd.yaml,
transcribed from Ferreira et al. 2021, PMID:33340416). ICIMD is a
consensus, mechanism-first nosology of inborn errors of metabolism.
The enum is hierarchical: it encodes the 24 ICIMD categories
(layer 1) as top-level values and the ~113 disease groups (layer 2)
as children that declare their parent category via is_a. Both levels
are valid assignments.
Assign the most specific applicable node — usually a group. The
parent category is derivable through is_a, so you do not also need to
list the category. Assign at category level only when the specific group
is unknown. The slot is multivalued: add more than one node when a
disorder genuinely spans groups.
classifications:
harrisons_chapter:
- classification_value: ENDOCRINOLOGY_METABOLISM
icimd_category:
- classification_value: organic_acidurias # group; rolls up to amino_acid_metabolism
notes: >-
ICIMD (Ferreira et al. 2021, PMID:33340416): group "Organic acidurias"
under category "Disorders of amino acid metabolism".
Record provenance in notes: (as above) for the ICIMD assignment. An
ICIMD placement is a definitional taxonomy mapping, not an empirical
disease claim, and the ICIMD paper's abstract carries no per-disease
sentence that would serve as an exact-quote snippet: supporting a
specific group. A formal evidence: block (identical shape to any other
dismech evidence — cached PMID + exact-quote snippet) is still valid and
welcome when a source genuinely states the placement (e.g. the iembase
entry text or a disease-specific review); prefer notes: over a generic
snippet that only supports the framework rather than the assignment.
Pair icimd_category with harrisons_chapter (usually
ENDOCRINOLOGY_METABOLISM and/or GENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE) the
same way other specific taxonomies are set alongside Harrison's. ICIMD
is finer-grained and metabolism-specific; the lysosomal storage diseases
in particular can carry both lysosomal_storage_category and an ICIMD
group under complex_molecule_degradation.
To list the available categories/groups:
uv run python -c "
from linkml_runtime.utils.schemaview import SchemaView
sv = SchemaView('src/dismech/schema/dismech.yaml')
for k, pv in sv.get_enum('ICIMDEnum').permissible_values.items():
print((' ' if pv.is_a else '') + k + (f' (is_a {pv.is_a})' if pv.is_a else ' [CATEGORY]'))
"
ISDS Nosology (isds_skeletal_category) — genetic skeletal disorders
For genetic skeletal disorders, assign the group from
ISDSNosologyGroupEnum (defined in
src/dismech/schema/classifications/isds_skeletal_nosology.yaml,
transcribed from the ISDS Nosology of Genetic Skeletal Disorders, 2023
revision — Unger et al., PMID:36779427). That revision lists 771
entries across 552 genes in 41 groups, mixing molecular, radiographic,
and anatomical/pathogenetic organizing principles. It supersedes the
2019 revision (Mortier et al., PMID:31633310), whose group names are
retained as structured_aliases and whose four dissolved groups are
retained as deprecated values — never assign a deprecated value.
The enum is flat, not hierarchical, and the nosology deliberately lists each disorder exactly once. So:
- Assign one group. The slot is multivalued only for an entry that lumps several distinct nosology disorders. Do not add a second group because the biology overlaps — Table 1 handles overlap with "see also" cross-references, not dual membership.
- Only assign to listed disorders. This is a transcription of an expert nosology, not an inference engine. If the entry is not in Table 1 (and is not an unambiguous subtype or synonym of a Table 1 disorder), leave the slot empty — plenty of disorders with skeletal phenotypes were deliberately not included.
- Watch for cross-group traps: FGFR3 craniosynostosis belongs to the craniosynostosis group, not the FGFR3 group; Hajdu-Cheney is osteolysis, not OI/bone fragility; brachydactyly-hypertension is a syndromic brachydactyly, not acromelic.
- Group numbers are not stable across revisions — the brachydactyly
groups moved from 37/38 to 18/19 between 2019 and 2023. Cite the
group by name and revision in
notes:, never by bare number. - Entities the nosology flags but declines to decompose get the group on
the entity only. Fanconi anemia is the worked case: it sits in group 38
"Limb hypoplasia – reduction defects" in the 2023 revision (group 39 in
2019 — note the shift, and that 2023 group 39 is a different group,
"Split hand/foot"). Its gene column reads "(several)" and the group
footnote says the complementation groups are "acknowledged but not further
listed". That is a caveat about genetic decomposition, not about membership
— so assign
limb_hypoplasia_reduction_defectsto Fanconi anemia, note the caveat, and do not invent per-complementation-group placements. Assign the enum key, not a number: the key is revision-stable, the number is not.
classifications:
harrisons_chapter:
- classification_value: GENETICS_ENVIRONMENT_DISEASE
isds_skeletal_category:
- classification_value: fgfr3_chondrodysplasia
notes: >-
ISDS Nosology of Genetic Skeletal Disorders, 2023 revision
(Unger et al., PMID:36779427), group 1 "FGFR3 chondrodysplasias";
listed as "Achondroplasia, FGFR3-related".
Groups carry no meaning:; three carry a close_mappings: to a MONDO
class (FGFR3 chondrodysplasias, TRPV4 disorders, and acromesomelic
dysplasias — the gene-defined series). A candidate MONDO
class is rejected whenever it contains an entity ISDS lists in a
different group, so do not add mappings without running that check.
See docs/isds-skeletal-nosology.md for the accepted and rejected sets.
As with ICIMD, record provenance in notes: and prefer it over
evidence:. The paper's PubMed record is abstract-only, so no
exact-quote snippet from it can support a specific group placement —
the abstract states only that the nosology exists and has 771 entries
across 552 genes in 41 groups. Quote it only if you are supporting that framework
claim, never a per-disorder assignment.
To list the groups:
uv run python -c "
from linkml_runtime.utils.schemaview import SchemaView
sv = SchemaView('src/dismech/schema/dismech.yaml')
for k, pv in sv.get_enum('ISDSNosologyGroupEnum').permissible_values.items():
print(k, '-', (pv.description or '').split('.')[0])
"
When the same concept fits both Harrison's and a more specific slot,
set both. Example: a tauopathy gets harrisons_chapter: NEUROLOGIC and mechanistic_category: tauopathy.
Backing classifications with evidence
Every classification_value entry is a ClassificationAssignment and
carries optional evidence: and notes: slots inherited from the base
class. Cite an authoritative source whenever you can — this turns the
classification from "curator opinion" into a checkable annotation and
prevents AI-fabricated taxonomy drift over time.
Do not quote Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine directly: the textbook is copyrighted and snippets are not redistributable. Cite the open-access peer-reviewed alternatives below instead. The pattern is the same as any other dismech evidence block — exact-quote snippet from the cited reference's abstract or text.
harrisons_chapter:
- classification_value: GASTROINTESTINAL
evidence:
- reference: PMID:39101000
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract."
explanation: Recent review characterises IBD as a gastrointestinal-tract inflammatory disorder, supporting placement in Harrison's GI Part.
Authoritative classification sources per Part
For each Part, the table below names a reusable family of citable sources. Prefer the most disease-specific source available, but these are good fallbacks when a disorder-specific recent review isn't at hand.
Shortened here. Read the whole file on GitHub.
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