DLA health conditions

DLA main disabling conditions

For DLA statistics, the DWP records one of 55 categories as a claimant’s ‘main disabling condition’. This is the main medical reason recorded for the DLA claim.

So, if you only have arthritis, arthritis is likely to be recorded as your main disabling condition. But if you have, say, arthritis and depression, only one of those conditions will appear as your main disabling condition in the statistics.

In the DLA-to-PIP reassessment statistics, this information comes from your existing DLA record. It does not mean that your other conditions are ignored when your entitlement to PIP is decided.

Unfortunately, much of the medical terminology used for DLA statistics is old-fashioned and some categories are very broad. Your own diagnosis may therefore not appear by name.

For example, ADHD falls under the DWP category ‘Hyperkinetic Syndrome’.

And in these DLA-to-PIP statistics, autism is included with several other conditions under the very broad heading ‘Learning Difficulties’.

We’ve listed the 55 categories below.

We’ve also added brief explanations to some of the less obvious categories and, where DWP has published more detailed coding information, examples of diagnoses which could appear under them.

An asterisk (*) means that the category is not included in our interactive DLA-to-PIP historical outcomes checker because there were too few historical cases in individual DLA award combinations to provide the level of comparison we require.

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome resulting from HIV infection.

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

A historic DWP category covering disability associated with alcohol or drug misuse or dependence.

Arthritis

Asthma

Back Pain – Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified

A broad DWP category for back conditions where a more precise diagnosis was not recorded under another heading. DWP has given spinal stenosis and scoliosis as examples of conditions which could be recorded within this category.

Behavioural Disorder

A broad historic DWP category rather than a single modern diagnosis.

DWP’s more detailed coding shows that this category could include:

anorexia nervosa

bulimia nervosa

other eating disorders

conduct disorder, including oppositional defiant disorder

bedwetting (enuresis)

faecal soiling (encopresis)

other childhood psychiatric disorders

So a person with an eating disorder, for example, may historically have appeared under the heading “Behavioural Disorder”.

Blindness

DWP has subsequently renamed this broad category Visual Disorders and Diseases.

Blood Disorders *

A broad category for diseases and disorders affecting the blood.

Bowel and Stomach Disease

A broad category covering gastrointestinal conditions not recorded under a more specific heading.

Cerebrovascular Disease

Conditions involving the blood vessels and blood supply of the brain, including stroke and related conditions.

Chest Disease

An older DWP heading which has subsequently been renamed Respiratory Disorders and Diseases.

Chronic Pain Syndromes

A broad category for conditions in which chronic or persistent pain is a principal feature.

Cystic Fibrosis *

Deaf/Blind *

Combined hearing and visual impairment.

Deafness

DWP has subsequently renamed this broad category Hearing Disorders.

Dementia

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes.

Disease of The Muscles, Bones or Joints

A broad DWP musculoskeletal category covering conditions affecting muscles, bones or joints which were not recorded under one of the more specific headings.

Double Amputee *

A historic DWP category for people recorded as having two limbs amputated.

Epilepsy

Frailty *

This is a broad description of reduced physical resilience or vulnerability.

Haemodialysis *

Haemodialysis is a treatment rather than a diagnosis. It is used for severe kidney failure and filters waste products and excess fluid from the blood.

Haemophilia *

An inherited bleeding disorder.

Heart Disease

A broad category covering diseases of the heart.

Hyperkinetic Syndrome

An older diagnostic term closely corresponding to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The older term “hyperkinetic disorder” was generally narrower than the way ADHD is diagnosed today, but someone whose historic DLA condition was recorded as Hyperkinetic Syndrome is very likely to recognise ADHD as the modern terminology.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Includes inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified *

A bacterial infectious disease where a more precise diagnosis was not recorded.

Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – Tuberculosis *

Tuberculosis (TB).

Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – Malaria *

Malaria.

Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – other / precise diagnosis not specified *

A protozoal infection other than malaria, or one where the precise diagnosis was not recorded. DWP has given giardiasis as an example.

Learning Difficulties

This is an important historic DWP umbrella category and is broader than the way the term “learning difficulties” is often used today.

DWP’s detailed coding shows that it could include:

Down’s syndrome

Fragile X syndrome

other or unspecified learning disability

autism

Asperger syndrome

Rett disorder

Older cases could remain recorded simply under the general heading “Learning Difficulties”, even after DWP introduced more detailed medical coding.

So people with autism or a learning disability may be represented in the historical figures for this category.

Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia

Serious injury resulting in lasting disability, excluding cases recorded under the separate traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia category.

Malignant Disease

Cancer.

Metabolic Disease

A broad category for disorders affecting metabolism.

DWP records show that identifiable cases of obesity were moved into this category from February 2010, having previously been included under Behavioural Disorder.

Motor Neurone Disease *

Motor neurone disease (MND).

Multi System Disorders

A broad DWP category for conditions affecting more than one body system.

We have not found a DWP source which provides a definitive list of all the individual diagnoses included under this heading.

Multiple Allergy Syndrome *

A historic DWP category for people recorded as having multiple allergies. We have not found an authoritative DWP source equating this with a particular modern diagnosis.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS).

Neurological Diseases

A very broad category covering neurological disorders not recorded under one of DWP’s more specific neurological headings.

Parkinsons Disease

Parkinson’s disease.

Peripheral vascular Disease

A condition affecting blood circulation outside the heart and brain, particularly circulation to the legs.

The term peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is now commonly used for disease caused by narrowing or blockage of the arteries.

Personality Disorder

DWP’s more detailed coding included:

personality disorder

Munchausen syndrome

other factitious disorders

Some of these are now described or classified differently in modern clinical practice.

Psychoneurosis

An old and now largely obsolete psychiatric term.

DWP used it as an umbrella category for a wide range of anxiety, stress-related and other non-psychotic mental health conditions.

DWP’s detailed coding included:

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

generalised anxiety disorder

specific phobias

social phobia

agoraphobia

panic disorder

other anxiety disorders

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

mixed anxiety and depressive disorder

conversion disorder

body dysmorphic disorder

dissociative disorders

somatoform disorders

So people with anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, OCD or mixed anxiety and depression may be represented in the historical Psychoneurosis figures.

Psychosis

DWP used this term much more broadly than the word “psychosis” would normally be understood today.

Its detailed coding included:

depressive disorder

bipolar affective disorder

other mood disorders

schizophrenia

schizoaffective disorder

other psychotic disorders

This means that people whose main condition was depression or bipolar disorder, as well as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, could historically be included within the DWP “Psychosis” category.

Renal Disorders

Kidney disorders. “Renal” means relating to the kidneys.

Severely Mentally impaired

This is an old DLA legal and administrative category rather than a modern medical diagnosis.

It should not be confused with the modern expression “severe mental illness”.

The DLA rules use the term in relation to severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning arising from arrested or incomplete development of the brain.

Skin Disease *

A broad category covering diseases and disorders of the skin.

Spondylosis

Degenerative changes affecting the spine, commonly associated with osteoarthritis of the spine.

Terminally Ill

An administrative category rather than a particular diagnosis.

Total Parenteral Nutrition *

Total parenteral nutrition, or TPN, is a treatment rather than a diagnosis.

It provides nutrition directly into a vein where the digestive system cannot be used, or cannot provide adequate nutrition.

Trauma to Limbs

Lasting disability resulting from injury to an arm or leg.

Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia

Paraplegia or tetraplegia resulting from traumatic injury.

Unknown/Transfer from AA *

This is not a health condition.

It covers cases where DWP did not have a usable main disabling condition recorded, including some historic cases transferred from Attendance Allowance.

A note about old and new DWP terminology

DWP changed its medical coding system in October 2008 so that more specific diagnoses could be recorded for new and reviewed claims.

However, many people whose DLA claims had begun before then continued to be recorded under the older broad categories.

This is particularly important for headings such as Learning Difficulties, Psychosis, Psychoneurosis and Behavioural Disorder.

For example, an autistic claimant might still appear in historical data simply as “Learning Difficulties”, while someone with depression might appear under “Psychosis”.

For that reason, these categories should not be treated as precise modern diagnoses.

Not included in our interactive checker because there were too few historical cases in individual DLA care and mobility award combinations to provide the level of comparison required. “Unknown/Transfer from AA” is excluded because it is not itself a health condition.