ICD-10 Code A39.0
Meningococcal meningitis
| ICD-10: | A39.0 |
| Short Description: | Meningococcal meningitis |
| Long Description: | Meningococcal meningitis |
Valid for Submission
ICD-10 A39.0 is a billable code used to specify a medical diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis. The code is valid for the year 2019 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions.
Code Classification
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00–B99)
Information for Medical Professionals
Convert A39.0 to ICD-9
The following crosswalk between ICD-10 to ICD-9 is based based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMS) information:
- 036.0 - Meningococcal meningitis
Clinical Information
Notes:
- Meningitis, Meningococcal: A fulminant infection of the meninges and subarachnoid fluid by the bacterium NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS, producing diffuse inflammation and peri-meningeal venous thromboses. Clinical manifestations include FEVER, nuchal rigidity, SEIZURES, severe HEADACHE, petechial rash, stupor, focal neurologic deficits, HYDROCEPHALUS, and COMA. The organism is usually transmitted via nasopharyngeal secretions and is a leading cause of meningitis in children and young adults. Organisms from Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, B, C, Y, and W-135 have been reported to cause meningitis. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp689-701; Curr Opin Pediatr 1998 Feb;10(1):13-8)
Synonyms
The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms:
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Meningococcal meningitis with acute meningococcal septicemia
- Meningococcal meningitis with meningococcal septicemia
- Meningococcemia
Index to Diseases and Injuries
The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10 code(s). The following references for the code A39.0 are found in the index:
- - Fever (inanition) (of unknown origin) (persistent) (with chills) (with rigor) - R50.9
- - cerebrospinal meningococcal - A39.0
- - petechial - A39.0
- - spotted - A77.9
- - cerebrospinal meningitis - A39.0
- - Infection, infected, infective (opportunistic) - B99.9
- - meningococcal - See Also: condition; - A39.9
- - cerebrospinal - A39.0
- - meninges - A39.0
- - meningococcal - See Also: condition; - A39.9
- - Meningitis (basal) (basic) (brain) (cerebral) (cervical) (congestive) (diffuse) (hemorrhagic) (infantile) (membranous) (metastatic) (nonspecific) (pontine) (progressive) (simple) (spinal) (subacute) (sympathetic) (toxic) - G03.9
- - cerebrospinal - A39.0
- - diplococcal (gram positive) - A39.0
- - epidemic NEC - A39.0
- - meningococcal - A39.0
- - Neisseria - A39.0
- - Meningococcus, meningococcal - See Also: condition; - A39.9
- - meningitis (cerebrospinal) - A39.0
Information for Patients
Meningitis
Also called: Spinal meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. There are several types of meningitis. The most common is viral meningitis. You get it when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is rare, but can be deadly. It usually starts with bacteria that cause a cold-like infection. It can cause stroke, hearing loss, and brain damage. It can also harm other organs. Pneumococcal infections and meningococcal infections are the most common causes of bacterial meningitis.
Anyone can get meningitis, but it is more common in people with weak immune systems. Meningitis can get serious very quickly. You should get medical care right away if you have
- A sudden high fever
- A severe headache
- A stiff neck
- Nausea or vomiting
Early treatment can help prevent serious problems, including death. Tests to diagnose meningitis include blood tests, imaging tests, and a spinal tap to test cerebrospinal fluid. Antibiotics can treat bacterial meningitis. Antiviral medicines may help some types of viral meningitis. Other medicines can help treat symptoms.
There are vaccines to prevent some of the bacterial infections that cause meningitis.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collection (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Cerebrospinal fluid culture (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Meningitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Meningitis - cryptococcal (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Meningitis - gram-negative (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Meningitis - H. influenzae (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Meningococcal ACWY Vaccines - MenACWY and MPSV4: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13): What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Immunization Action Coalition)
- Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
[Learn More]
Meningococcal Infections
Meningococci are a type of bacteria that cause serious infections. The most common infection is meningitis, which is an inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Meningococci can also cause other problems, including a serious bloodstream infection called sepsis.
Meningococcal infections can spread from person to person. Risk factors include
- Age - it is more common in infants, teens, and young adults
- Living in close quarters, such as in college dorms or military settings
- Certain medical conditions, such as not having a spleen
- Travel to areas where meningococcal disease is common
In its early stages, you may have flu-like symptoms and a stiff neck. But the disease can progress quickly and can be fatal. Early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important. Lab tests on your blood and cerebrospinal fluid can tell if you have it. Treatment is with antibiotics. Since the infection spreads from person to person, family members may also need to be treated.
A vaccine can prevent meningococcal infections.
- Meningococcemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
[Learn More]
ICD-10 Footnotes
General Equivalence Map Definitions
The ICD-10 and ICD-9 GEMs are used to facilitate linking between the diagnosis codes in ICD-9-CM and the new ICD-10-CM code set. The GEMs are the raw material from which providers, health information vendors and payers can derive specific applied mappings to meet their needs.
- Approximate Flag - The approximate flag is on, indicating that the relationship between the code in the source system and the code in the target system is an approximate equivalent.
- No Map Flag - The no map flag indicates that a code in the source system is not linked to any code in the target system.
- Combination Flag - The combination flag indicates that more than one code in the target system is required to satisfy the full equivalent meaning of a code in the source system.