Diseases classified according to epidemiology defines diseases based on their incidence in a population. This approach looks at how diseases spread by considering the rate of distribution within a population and subsequently, how that spread can be controlled to limit infections. 

Diseases can be classified by many different identifying and/or categorical features of the disease. They can also be simultaneously classified throughout these categories. These classifications include, but are not limited to

-	Anatomic (Organ / Tissue)
-	Epidemiological (Occurrence / Distribution)
-	Etiological (Cause)
-	Juristic (Legal)*
-	Pathological (Process)
-	Physiological (Function / Effect)
-	Topographic (Bodily Region / System)
-	Stage (Time)
- Statistical (Databases)


Disease Classification Systems

Britannica. (n.d.) Classification of diseases. In Britannica. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/human-disease/Classifications-of-diseases

Classification of diseases

Diseases classified by anatomy are defined based on the different organs or tissues that the disease affects on targets. This anatomical approach focuses on more specific areas of infections rather than a broader categorization. 

Disease Classification: Anatomic

Disease Classification: Epidemiological

Diseases classified through etiology define diseases according to their cause of affliction upon the patient. By determining how one came in contact and/or contracted a particular disease helps to inform protection strategies. 

Disease Classification: Etiological

The Juristic classification of disease is unique in that it classifies disease through a legal lens rather than a medical one. The juristic definition is mostly concerned with how a death has occurred and how to classify it. This approach is more commonly used in professions such as coroners and medical examiners, or other legal-medical overlapped professions.

Disease Classification: Juristic

Diseases classified through pathology define a disease through the process of its infection of the patient. This classification considers the process of development, progression, and maintenance of the disease.

Disease Classification: Pathological

Diseases classified through physiology are defined by the affect of the disease on a certain function of the patient. This focus considers how a disease modifies the function, or the ability of a system to function normally. 

Disease Classification: Physiological 

Disease classified by topography are defined by the different bodily regions and/or systems that the disease affects. This classification considers disease that typically have a broader application on the body and its systems rather than specific areas.

Disease Classification: Topographic

Diseases classified by stages are defined through a measurement of time that includes appearance of symptoms, the length of affliction, and progression of the disease. 


Disease Classification: Stage

The statistical classification of disease utilizes statistical analysis to measure and track the incident rates of diseases. By doing such it helps to further identify and classify diseases into their retrospective databases using other classifications and categorizations for ease of presenting a unified set of data. 

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