Abstract
Anaphylaxis has never been well classified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).The 11th ICD was officially launched by WHO in March 2007. In 2012, an analysis using the Brazilian Mortality Information System demonstrated under-notification of anaphylaxis deaths due to the difficulties of coding them using the current version of the International Classification of Diseases, ICD-10. This work triggered a cascade of strategic international actions supported by the Joint Allergy Academies and the ICD representatives at the WHO to update the classification of allergic disorders for the recently released eleventh revision (ICD-11). These efforts resulted in the construction of the new “Allergic and hypersensitivity conditions” section under the “Disorders of the Immune system” chapter. In order to assess the capacity of the new ICD-11 revision to capture anaphylaxis deaths, we used ICD-11 to recode deaths from the original Brazilian data set of deaths attributed to anaphylaxis during the period 2008 to 2010. Coding accuracy was much improved over ICD-10 when ICD-11 was used, reaching 95 % for definite anaphylaxis.Due to the consistent work in the field, the WHO Collaborating Center (WHO CC) for the Scientific Classification of Allergic and Hypersensitivity Diseases was established at the University Hospital of Montpellier, responsible for providing academic, research and scientific support to the WHO in the implementation, refinement and maintenance of the WHO-FIC (Family of International Classifications) in our areas of expertise.The consolidation of the new section dealing with anaphylaxis means that the later will now be recognized as clinical conditions requiring specific documentation and management. Timely, the new allergic and hypersensitivity conditions chapter, including anaphylaxis, can be considered a milestone in the history of the allergy specialty. More reliable, accurate and comparable epidemiological data will be able to provide a big picture of these conditions and will support improvements in many levels of the health system, which will reflect in the quality of care of anaphylactic patients.