2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A17.81

Approximate Synonyms

The following list of clinical terms are approximate synonyms, alternative descriptions, or common phrases that might be used by patients, healthcare providers, or medical coders to describe the same condition. These synonyms and related diagnosis terms are often used when searching for an ICD-10 code, especially when the exact medical terminology is unclear. Whether you're looking for lay terms, similar diagnosis names, or common language alternatives, this list can help guide you to the correct ICD-10 classification.

Clinical Classification

Clinical Classifications group individual ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes into broader, clinically meaningful categories. These categories help simplify complex data by organizing related conditions under common clinical themes.

They are especially useful for data analysis, reporting, and clinical decision-making. Even when diagnosis codes differ, similar conditions can be grouped together based on their clinical relevance. Each category is assigned a unique CCSR code that represents a specific clinical concept, often tied to a body system or medical specialty.

Clinical Information

• Tuberculoma

  a tumor-like mass resulting from the enlargement of a tuberculous lesion.

• Tuberculoma, Intracranial

  a well-circumscribed mass composed of tuberculous granulation tissue that may occur in the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, brain stem, or perimeningeal spaces. multiple lesions are quite common. management of intracranial manifestations vary with lesion site. intracranial tuberculomas may be associated with seizures, focal neurologic deficits, and intracranial hypertension. spinal cord tuberculomas may be associated with localized or radicular pain, weakness, sensory loss, and incontinence. tuberculomas may arise as opportunistic infections, but also occur in immunocompetent individuals.

• Tuberculous Abscess

  an abscess resulting from infection by mycobacterium tuberculosis.

MS-DRG Mapping for ICD-10-CM Code A17.81

Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) are used to classify hospital cases for billing and healthcare management. They help standardize how hospitals and other providers are reimbursed for inpatient care. Patients are grouped based on their principal diagnosis into broader categories called Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs).

Once assigned to a DRG, the hospital receives a set payment for the patient’s care, regardless of the actual services provided. This fixed rate is intended to cover the typical cost of treating patients within that group. The payment amount depends on the DRG's relative weight, which reflects the expected complexity and cost of care based on the severity of the patient’s condition.

Diagnostic related groups encourage healthcare providers to focus on quality and efficiency in patient care while managing costs effectively. The diagnosis code is present in the following groups for version MS-DRG V43.0 applicable from 10/01/2025 through 09/30/2026.

Convert A17.81 to ICD-9-CM

Below are the ICD-9 codes that most closely match this ICD-10 code, based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). This ICD-10 to ICD-9 crosswalk tool is helpful for coders who need to reference legacy diagnosis codes for audits, historical claims, or approximate code comparisons.

Patient Education

Brain Diseases

Your brain is the control center of your body. It controls your thoughts, memory, speech, and movement. It regulates the function of many organs. It's part of your nervous system, which also includes your spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The nervous system sends signals between your brain and the rest of the body. Your nerves take in information from your senses and send it to the brain to be processed. Your brain and nerves also communicate to help you move and to control your body's functions.

When the brain is healthy, it works quickly and automatically. But when you have a brain disease, it may affect how well you can function and do your daily activities. Some common brain diseases include:

• Brain tumors, which can press on nerves and affect brain function.
• Degenerative nerve diseases, which can affect many of your body's activities, such as balance, movement, talking, breathing, and heart function. Types include Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
• Encephalitis (inflammation in the brain), which can lead to problems such as vision loss, weakness, and paralysis.
• Genetic brain disorders, which are caused by changes in genes (also called variants or mutations). These disorders can affect the development and function of the brain.
• Strokes, which can cause a loss of brain cells and can affect your ability to think clearly.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which can affect brain function. They may range from mild to severe. The effects of a TBI may be temporary or permanent.

The symptoms of brain diseases vary widely, depending on the specific problem. In some cases, damage is permanent. In other cases, treatments such as surgery, medicines, or therapies such as physical, occupational, and speech therapies, may cure the disease or improve the symptoms.

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Spinal Cord Diseases

Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of your back. It carries signals back and forth between your body and your brain. It is protected by your vertebrae, which are the bone disks that make up your spine. If you have an accident that damages the vertebrae or other parts of the spine, this can also injure the spinal cord. Other spinal cord problems include:

• Tumors
• Infections such as meningitis and polio
• Inflammatory diseases
• Autoimmune diseases
• Degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy

Symptoms vary but might include pain, numbness, loss of sensation and muscle weakness. These symptoms can occur around the spinal cord, and also in other areas such as your arms and legs. Treatments often include medicines and surgery.

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Tuberculosis

What is tuberculosis (TB)?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. But it can also attack other parts of the body, including the kidneys, spine, and brain.

Not everyone infected with TB bacteria (germs) becomes sick. So, there are two types of TB conditions:

• Inactive (latent) TB infection, where the TB germs live in your body but don't make you sick.
• TB disease (active TB) where you get sick from the TB germs. TB disease can almost always be cured with antibiotics. But if it's not treated properly, it can be fatal.

TB is found in the U.S., but it is more common in certain other countries.

What causes tuberculosis (TB)?

TB is caused by bacteria (germs) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The germs spread from person to person through the air. People who have TB disease in their throat or lungs spread the germs in the air when they cough, sneeze, talk, or sing. If you breathe in the air that has the germs, you can get TB.

TB is not spread by touching, kissing, or sharing food or dishes.

You're more likely to catch TB from people you live or work with than from people you see for shorter amounts of time.

Who is more likely to get infected with tuberculosis (TB) germs?

Anyone who is near a person with TB disease can get infected with the germs. You are more likely to be near someone with TB disease if you:

• Were born in or often travel to countries where TB disease is common
• Are a health care worker
• Work or live in a place where TB is more common, such as shelters for people without homes, jails, and nursing homes

Who is more likely to develop TB disease?

Certain people are more likely to get sick with TB disease after they get infected. They include people who:

• Have HIV
• Became infected with TB in the last 2 years
• Have other diseases, such as diabetes, that make it hard for your body to fight TB germs
• Have alcohol use disorder (AUD) or inject illegal drugs
• Were not treated correctly for TB in the past
• Are under age 5
• Are an older adult
• Take medicines that weaken the immune system, such as medicines taken after an organ transplant, steroids, and specialized treatments for certain autoimmune diseases

What are the symptoms of tuberculosis (TB)?

Most people who have TB germs in their bodies don't get sick with TB disease. Instead, they have inactive TB infection. With an inactive TB infection, you:

• Don't have symptoms
• Can't spread TB to others
• Could get sick with active TB disease in the future if your immune system becomes weak for another reason
• Need to take medicine to prevent getting sick with active TB disease in the future

If you have TB disease, the TB germs are active, meaning that they are growing (multiplying) inside your body and making you sick. If the TB is growing in your lungs or throat, you can spread the TB germs to other people. You can get sick with TB disease weeks to years after you're infected with TB germs.

With TB disease, your symptoms will depend on where the TB is growing in your body:

• General symptoms may include:
  • Chills and fever
  • Night sweats (heavy sweating during sleep)
  • Losing weight without trying
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weakness or fatigue
• Symptoms from TB disease in your lungs may include:
  • A cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks
  • Coughing up blood or sputum (a thick mucus from the lungs)
  • Chest pain

How is tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed?

Your health care provider or your local health department can test you to find out if you have TB germs in your body. They will give you either a TB skin or blood test.

If your test shows that you have TB germs, you'll need to have other tests to see if the germs are actively growing:

• Tests for TB disease in the lungs usually include testing samples of your sputum and having chest x-rays.
• Tests for TB disease in other parts of your body may include tests of urine and tissue samples.

You may need a TB test if you have symptoms of TB disease or if you are at high risk because you are more likely to be near someone with TB disease.

People who have HIV also need to get tested for TB. HIV weakens your immune system. So if you have both HIV and inactive TB, the TB can quickly become active TB disease. You will need treatment for the inactive TB as soon as possible to prevent active TB disease.

What is the treatment for tuberculosis (TB)?

The treatment for both inactive TB infection and TB disease is antibiotics. To make sure you get rid of all the TB germs in your body, it's very important to follow the directions for taking your medicine.

If you don't follow the directions, the TB germs in your body could change and become antibiotic resistant. That means the medicine may stop working and your TB may become hard to cure.

• For inactive TB infections, you need to take medicines for three, four, six, or nine months, depending on the treatment plan. Treatment helps make sure you don't get TB disease in the future.
• For active TB disease, you usually need to take medicines for four, six, or nine months, depending on the treatment plan. Treatment will almost always cure you if you take your pills the right way.
• For TB disease in your lungs or throat, you'll need to stay home for a few weeks, so you don't spread disease to other people. You can protect the people you live with by:
  • Covering your nose and mouth.
  • Opening windows when possible.
  • Not getting too close to them.
• For drug-resistant TB disease, which means that the TB germs are resistant to certain TB medicines, you will need to take special medicines. Treatment may take a long time, sometimes months or years. The medicines can cause side effects. Your provider will closely monitor your treatment to make sure the medicines are working.

By following medical advice for TB testing and treatment, you can keep yourself healthy and help stop the spread of TB.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Code History

• FY 2026 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2025 through 9/30/2026
• FY 2025 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2024 through 9/30/2025
• 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.