What is the ICD-10-CM code for shortness of breath?

The primary ICD-10-CM code for shortness of breath is R06.02 (Shortness of breath). There are 20 billable shortness of breath codes in FY2027, covering different types and underlying causes.

How many ICD-10-CM codes are there for shortness of breath?

There are 23 ICD-10-CM codes for shortness of breath in the FY2027 tabular list, of which 20 are billable. These codes fall under Chapter 18 of the ICD-10-CM classification.

Which chapter covers shortness of breath in ICD-10-CM?

Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea codes are classified in Chapter 18 of the ICD-10-CM tabular list: R00–R99 (Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings).

Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea ICD-10-CM codes

ICD-10-CM codes for abnormalities of breathing (R06), including shortness of breath, dyspnea, orthopnea, wheezing, tachypnea, apnea, and hyperventilation.

23 codes, 20 billable. FY2027, valid from October 1, 2026. In chapter 18: Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings.

How to code Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea

Dyspnea is subcategory R06.0-: R06.00 dyspnea unspecified, R06.01 orthopnea, R06.02 shortness of breath, R06.03 acute respiratory distress, and R06.09 other forms of dyspnea such as paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. R06.02 is the code for shortness of breath documented as such. R06.03 is a symptom code and is not acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is J80.

Other R06 codes cover distinct findings: R06.1 stridor, R06.2 wheezing, R06.3 periodic breathing, R06.4 hyperventilation, R06.5 mouth breathing, R06.6 hiccough, R06.7 sneezing, R06.81 apnea not elsewhere classified, R06.82 tachypnea, R06.83 snoring, R06.89 other, and R06.9 unspecified. Hypoxemia is a separate finding, R09.02, and may be added when documented.

Shortness of breath is integral to conditions such as heart failure, COPD exacerbation, asthma, and pneumonia and is not coded separately when one of those is confirmed. Respiratory failure (J96.00, J96.01 with hypoxia) requires the provider's diagnosis; do not infer it from oxygen saturation or from an R06 code.

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Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea ICD-10-CM codes

How to code Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea

All Shortness of Breath and Dyspnea codes

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