2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z21

Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection status

ICD-10-CM Code:
Z21
ICD-10 Code for:
Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection status
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
    (Z00–Z99)
    • Persons with potential health hazards related to communicable diseases
      (Z20-Z29)
      • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection status
        (Z21)

Z21 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus [hiv] infection status. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

This code is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used as a principal diagnosis.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Analyte not reportable due to high human immunodeficiency virus antibody
  • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus A1 infection
  • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus A2 infection
  • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection
  • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection
  • Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnancy
  • History of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection
  • HIV CDC stage finding
  • HIV detected
  • Human immunodeficiency virus 2 antibody detected and Human immunodeficiency virus 1 antibody cross-reactivity
  • Human immunodeficiency virus antibody detected
  • Human immunodeficiency virus carrier
  • Human immunodeficiency virus Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stage 0
  • Human immunodeficiency virus complicating pregnancy childbirth and the puerperium
  • Human immunodeficiency virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test positive
  • Human immunodeficiency virus I infection
  • Human immunodeficiency virus II infection
  • Increased human immunodeficiency virus viral load
  • Infectious disease of mother complicating pregnancy
  • Viral load increased

Clinical Classification

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • HIV positive NOS

Code First

Code First
Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a "use additional code" note at the etiology code, and a "code first" note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes, etiology followed by manifestation.
  • Human immunodeficiency virus HIV disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium, if applicable O98.7

Type 1 Excludes

Type 1 Excludes
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • acquired immunodeficiency syndrome B20
  • contact with human immunodeficiency virus HIV Z20.6
  • exposure to human immunodeficiency virus HIV Z20.6
  • human immunodeficiency virus HIV disease B20
  • inconclusive laboratory evidence of human immunodeficiency virus HIV R75

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Code Edits

The Medicare Code Editor (MCE) detects and reports errors in the coding of claims data. The following ICD-10-CM Code Edits are applicable to this code:

  • Questionable admission codes - Some diagnoses are not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital. For example, if a patient is given code R030 for elevated blood pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension, then the patient would have a questionable admission, since elevated blood pressure reading is not normally sufficient justification for admission to a hospital. The following list contains diagnosis codes identified as questionable admission when used.

Convert Z21 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: V08 - Asymp hiv infectn status

Patient Education


HIV

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV harms your immune system by destroying a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. This puts you at risk for other infections and diseases.

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. It happens when the body's immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.

How does HIV spread?

HIV is spread through certain body fluids from a person who has HIV. This can happen:

  • By having unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a person who has HIV. "Unprotected" means not using condoms or medicine to treat or prevent HIV. This is the most common way that it spreads.
  • By sharing drug needles.
  • Through contact with the blood of a person with HIV.
  • From mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Who is at risk for HIV infection?

Anyone can get HIV, but certain groups have a higher risk of getting it:

  • People who have another sexually transmitted disease (STD). Having an STD can increase your risk of getting or spreading HIV.
  • People who inject drugs with shared needles.
  • Gay and bisexual men.
  • Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans. They make up a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV, compared to other races and ethnicities.
  • People who engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as not using condoms or medicine to prevent or treat HIV.

Factors such as stigma, discrimination, income, education, and geographic region can also affect people's risk for HIV.

What are the symptoms of HIV?

The first signs of HIV infection may be flu-like symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Rash
  • Night sweats (heavy sweating during sleep)
  • Muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Mouth ulcers

These symptoms may come and go within two to four weeks. This stage is called acute HIV infection.

If the infection is not treated, it becomes chronic HIV infection. Often, there are no symptoms during this stage. If it is not treated, eventually the virus will weaken your body's immune system. Then the infection will progress to AIDS. This is the late stage of HIV infection. Because your immune system is badly damaged, your body cannot fight off other infections, called opportunistic infections (OIs). OIs are infections that happen more frequently or are more severe in people who have weakened immune systems.

Some people may not feel sick during the earlier stages of HIV infection. So the only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get tested.

How do I know if I have HIV?

A blood test can tell if you have HIV infection. Your health care provider can do the test, or you can use a home testing kit. You can also use the CDC Testing Locator to find free testing sites.

What are the treatments for HIV?

There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated with medicines. This is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART can make HIV infection a manageable chronic condition. It also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.

Most people with HIV live long and healthy lives if they get ART as soon as possible and stay on it. It's also important to take care of yourself. Making sure that you have the support you need, living a healthy lifestyle, and getting regular medical care can help you enjoy a better quality of life.

Can HIV infection be prevented?

You can reduce the risk of getting or spreading HIV by:

  • Getting tested for HIV.
  • Choosing less risky sexual behaviors. This includes limiting the number of sexual partners you have and using latex condoms every time you have sex. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
  • Getting tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
  • Not injecting drugs.
  • Talking to your health care provider about medicines to prevent HIV:
    • PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is for people who don't already have HIV but are at very high risk of getting it. PrEP is daily medicine that can reduce this risk.
    • PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is for people who have possibly been exposed to HIV. It is only for emergency situations. PEP must be started within 72 hours after a possible exposure to HIV.

NIH: National Institutes of Health


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.