Malnutrition (E40-E46)

Instructional notes

Official coding guidelines

From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.

Covers diabetes mellitus coding, including type, insulin and drug use, pump malfunction and secondary diabetes, plus obesity and obesity class codes.

• Diabetes mellitus (page 39)
• Obesity (page 42)

Read Section I.C.4 (page 39)

All codes under E40-E46

E40-E46 can't be used on a claim. Pick a billable code below; grey headings group them.

• E40Kwashiorkor
• E41Nutritional marasmus
• E42Marasmic kwashiorkor
• E43Unspecified severe protein-calorie malnutrition
• E44Protein-calorie malnutrition of moderate and mild degree
• E44.0Moderate protein-calorie malnutrition
• E44.1Mild protein-calorie malnutrition
• E45Retarded development following protein-calorie malnutrition
• E46Unspecified protein-calorie malnutrition

E40-E46 MS-DRGs

This code does not group to an MS-DRG as a principal diagnosis.

Other codes that refer to E40-E46

Notes on these codes point to E40-E46.

• E08 Code First: malnutrition (E40-E46)
• H28 Code First: protein-calorie malnutrition (E40-E46)
• R60.1 Excludes2: nutritional edema (E40-E46)
• R63.31 Code Also: malnutrition (E40-E46)
• R63.32 Code Also: malnutrition (E40-E46)
• R63.6 Excludes1: malnutrition (E40-E46)
• Z59.4 Excludes2: malnutrition (E40-E46)

About the condition

Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.