HSE morbidity measures
| Category | Measure | Type* | Operationalisation (years available) |
| CVD | High BP LSI† | L | Hypertension reported as LSI (1994–2011) |
| Recent high BP | L | Still has (or on medication for) doctor-diagnosed hypertension (1994–2013) | |
| Biomarker high BP | B | Systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg and diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg (1994–2013) | |
| High total cholesterol | B | Total cholesterol ≥5 mmol/L (1994–2012) | |
| Low HDL cholesterol | B | HDL cholesterol ≤1 mmol/L (1998–2013) | |
| Recent heart attack /stroke | L | Doctor-diagnosed heart attack or stroke in past 12 months (1994–2011) | |
| Recent angina | L | Doctor-diagnosed angina in past 12 months (1994–2011) | |
| Ischaemic heart/stroke LSI† | L | Stroke, heart attack or angina reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| Heart attack symptoms | S | Ever had severe pain across chest for ½ hour (1994–2011) | |
| Mini stroke (TIA) symptoms | S | Attack of weakness/slurred speech/blurred vision in past 12 months (2003–2011) | |
| Angina symptoms | S | Rose Angina scale definition of angina symptoms (1994–2011) | |
| Any recent CVD | L | Doctor-diagnosed heart condition (exc. hypertension) in past 12 months (1994–2011) | |
| Any CVD LSI† | L | Any CVD reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| Respiratory | COPD symptoms | S | Regular cough and phlegm for at least 3 months each year (1995–2010) |
| Lifetime diagnosed asthma | L | Ever had doctor-diagnosed asthma (1995–2010) | |
| Asthma LSI† | L | Asthma reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| Breathlessness-grade 2 | S | Short of breath when hurrying up walking uphill (1995–2010) | |
| Breathlessness-grade 3 | S | Short of breath when walking on level ground (1995–2010) | |
| Recent wheezing/asthma | S | Wheezing, whistling in chest or asthma attack in past 12 months (1995–2010) | |
| Wheezing stopping sleep | S | Woken 1+times/week by wheezing/whistling in chest in last 12 months (1994–2010) | |
| Obesity and diabetes | BMI-underweight | B | BMI ≤18.5 kg/m2 (1994–2013) |
| BMI-obese | B | BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (1994–2013) | |
| High waist-hip ratio | B | Waist-hip ratio of >1 for men and >0.85 for women (1994–2013) | |
| Recent diabetes | L | Currently taking medication for doctor-diagnosed diabetes (1994–2013) | |
| Diabetes LSI† | L | Diabetes reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| High-glycated haemoglobin | B | HbA1C ≥48 mmol/mol (2003–2013) | |
| Mental health | Mental health LSI† | L | Mental health reported as LSI (1994–2011) |
| Psychiatric distress (GHQ) | S | 4+ negative symptoms from 12-item GHQ (1994–2014) | |
| Anxiety/depression-moderately | S | At least moderately anxious/depressed today (1996–2014) | |
| Anxiety/depression-extremely | S | Extremely anxious/depressed today (1996–2014) | |
| Activity limitations and musculo skeletal | Problems walking today | S | Has at least some problems walking about today (1996–2014) |
| Locomotor limitation | S | Can’t walk far/bend down/go up or down stairs without resting (1996–2001) | |
| Problems washing/dressing today | S | Has at least some problems washing/dressing today (1996–2014) | |
| Self-care limitation | S | Difficulty with one of six everyday activities (eg, feeding, dressing) (1995–2001) | |
| Pain-any | S | Has at least some pain or discomfort today (1996–2014) | |
| Pain-extreme | S | Has extreme pain or discomfort today (1996–2014) | |
| Arthritis LSI† | L | Arthritis or rheumatism reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| Other musculoskeletal LSI† | L | Other musculoskeletal condition reported as LSI (1994–2011) | |
| Sensory and communication | LSI eye or ear | L | Eye or ear condition reported as LSI (1994–2011) |
| Hearing limitation | S | Cannot follow TV programme at volume others find acceptable (1995–2001) | |
| Seeing limitation | S | Cannot see well enough to recognise friend across the road (1995–2001) | |
| Communicating limitation | S | Have problem communicating with other people (1995–2001) | |
| Other biomarkers | Raised CRP | B | CRP >3 mg/L (1998–2009) |
| Raised fibrinogen | B | Fibrinogen >4 mg/L (1998–2009) | |
| Anaemia | B | Haemoglobin <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women (1994–2009) | |
| Iron deficiency | B | Serum ferritin <45 ng/mL (1994–2009) |
See online supplementary appendix 5 for full details on all measures.
*Measure type key: L=medical label; S=symptom-based; B=biomarker.
†Particular causes of LSI come from the open question, ‘what is the matter with you?’ Up to 6 responses are then coded by the interviewer into a coding frame based on ICD.
BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CRP, C-reactive protein; CVD, cardiovascular disease; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire; HDL, high density lipoprotein; LSI, longstanding illness; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.