Formalizing MedDRA to support semantic reasoning on adverse drug reaction terms

Abstract

Although MedDRA has obvious advantages over previous terminologies for coding adverse drug reactions and discovering potential signals using data mining techniques, its terminological organization constrains users to search terms according to predefined categories. Adding formal definitions to MedDRA would allow retrieval of terms according to a case definition that may correspond to novel categories that are not currently available in the terminology. To achieve semantic reasoning with MedDRA, we have associated formal definitions to MedDRA terms in an OWL file named OntoADR that is the result of our first step for providing an "ontologized" version of MedDRA. MedDRA five-levels original hierarchy was converted into a subsumption tree and formal definitions of MedDRA terms were designed using several methods: mappings to SNOMED-CT, semi-automatic definition algorithms or a fully manual way. This article presents the main steps of OntoADR conception process, its structure and content, and discusses problems and limits raised by this attempt to "ontologize" MedDRA.

Medication-related visits in a pediatric emergency department: an 8-years retrospective analysis

“…Narrative summaries, clinical testing, and physician’s diagnoses from MRVs reports were coded according to Medical Dictionary for regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terminology and System Organ Class (SOC) list [56]. …”

OntoADR a semantic resource describing adverse drug reactions to support searching, coding, and information retrieval

“…Contrary to our previous approach, definitions of parents in MedDRA were no longer inherited by their children to prevent experienced inconsistencies [06].…”

“…In a previous study we proposed to ''ontologize'' MedDRA and described the general process for formalizing MedDRA to support semantic reasoning [06]. Our In step (a), we often observed that a single MedDRA term mapped to several SNOMED-CT concepts although they have different meanings.…”

“…We have been conducting a research program over the last several years that aims to demonstrate the benefits of adding formal definitions to MedDRA terms [05,06]. We are adverse events based on a solid ontological basis.…”

MedDRA® automated term groupings using OntoADR: evaluation with upper gastrointestinal bleedings

“…For example " 'duodenum' is_part_of 'upper digestive tract structure' " where 'duodenum' and 'upper digestive tract structure' are body parts, and 'is_part_of' is a semantic relation. We already described the construction of a semantic resource for ADRs, using description logic (DL), named OntoADR [9,10]. OntoADR contains MedDRA terms formally described with SNOMED CT concepts (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -Clinical Terms).…”