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Basics of Syphilis ICD-10 CM coding

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that’s treatable with medication. Without treatment, syphilis causes serious health problems

ICD-10 code A53. 9 for Syphilis, unspecified is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range – Certain infectious and parasitic diseases .

A53.9 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.

Symptoms| Syphilis ICD-10 CM coding

Body aches
Fatigue
Fever
Headaches
Loss of appetite
Patchy hair loss
Rash with rough, red, or reddish brown spots, commonly found on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
Sore throat
Swollen lymph glands
Weight loss

Documentation and Syphilis ICD-10 CM coding

The ICD-10-CM codes for syphilis are found in Chapter 1: Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. There are separate subcategories for congenital syphilis (A50.-), early syphilis (A51.-), late syphilis (A52-), and other and unspecified syphilis (A53.-). Each subcategory has additional fourth- and fifth-character options for added specificity.

The A51.- category has seven different fourth characters to specify the type and location of early syphilis. These include:

A51.0, primary genital syphilis
A51.1, primary anal syphilis
A51.2, primary syphilis of other sites
A51.3-, secondary syphilis of skin and mucous membranes
A51.4-, other secondary syphilis
A51.5, early syphilis, latent
A51.9, early syphilis, unspecified

Fifth characters for subcategories A51.3- and A51.4- specify syphilitic conditions.

The A52 category also has seven subcategories, but these differ from those found for the codes in A51.-. The A52.- subcategories include:

A52.0-, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular syphilis
A52.1-, symptomatic neurosyphilis
A52.2, asymptomatic neurosyphilis
A52.3, neurosyphilis unspecified
A52.7-, other symptomatic late syphilis
A52.8, late syphilis, latent
A52.9, late syphilis, unspecified

Fifth characters for subcategories A52.0-, A52.1- and A52.7- represent the specific organs, parts of organs, or body systems affected by the disease. Latent syphilis not specified as early or late falls in the A53.- category for other syphilis.

If a patient has been exposed to syphilis, but a definitive diagnosis has not been determined, coders may report Z20.2 for contact with and (suspected) exposure to infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission.

Related Synonyms