R54Billable, valid for claims from October 1, 2026

Age-related physical debility

In General symptoms and signs (R50-R69), chapter 18: Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings

  • R54 is billable and valid on claims for FY 2027. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under R50-R69 below.
  • As a secondary diagnosis it is not a CC or MCC, so it doesn't raise the MS-DRG payment.
  • Doesn't count toward a Medicare Advantage risk score (no HCC in V28).
  • AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as not chronic (an acute or short-term condition).
  • 4,262 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category R54, per the National Vital Statistics System on CDC WONDER. Death records use WHO ICD-10, so the count is for the whole category.
  • Expected only for adult patients. (Adult list)

Also indexed as: Asthenia, senile; Atrophia, senilis; Atrophy, old age; Atrophy, senile; Cachexia, old age; Cachexia, senile; Catabolism; Change, senile; Debility, old age; Debility, senile; Decay, senile; Degeneration, senile; Deterioration, senile; Dysfunction, senile; Exhaustion, old age; Exhaustion, senile; Failure, senile; Fatigue, senile; Fibrosis, senile; Frailty; Infirmity, senile; Marasmus, senile; Old age; Presbycardia; Prostration, senile; Senectus; Senescence; Senile, asthenia; Senile, debility; Senile, heart; Tremor, senilis; Weak, senile

Advertisements

Instructional notes

Includes: conditions that are coded here

  • Frailty
  • Old age
  • Senescence
  • Senile asthenia
  • Senile debility

Excludes1: not coded here, use a different code

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 when to report symptom, sign, and abnormal finding codes (R00-R99), plus specific rules for falls, coma scales, non-infectious SIRS, death NOS, and NIHSS scores.

Read Section I.C.18 (page 75), 1 more topics

R54 MS-DRG

As the principal diagnosis, R54 groups to MS-DRG 884 (v44.0).

Related conditions

Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.

R54 is in Other general signs and symptoms (SYM016, its default category), with 58 codes. Others in it:

  • E88.A Wasting disease (syndrome) due to underlying condition
  • R25.2 Cramp and spasm
  • R29.3 Abnormal posture
  • R29.4 Clicking hip
  • R29.6 Repeated falls
  • R29.890 Loss of height
  • R29.891 Ocular torticollis
  • R29.898 Other symptoms and signs involving the musculoskeletal system

Other codes that refer to R54

Notes on these codes point to R54.

  • R53.1 Excludes1: age-related weakness (R54)
  • R53.1 Excludes1: senile asthenia (R54)
  • R53.2 Excludes1: frailty NOS (R54)
  • R53.8 Excludes1: exhaustion and fatigue due to senile debility (R54)
  • R53.81 Excludes1: age-related physical debility (R54)

Code history

Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.

ICD-9-CM equivalent

Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).

  • 797 Senility without mention of psychosis (approximate)
ICD-9 to ICD-10 converter