2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F03.A

Specific Coding Applicable to Unspecified dementia, mild

Non-specific codes like F03.A require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for unspecified dementia, mild:

Clinical Information

• AIDS Dementia Complex

  a neurologic condition associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and characterized by impaired concentration and memory, slowness of hand movements, ataxia, incontinence, apathy, and gait difficulties associated with hiv-1 viral infection of the central nervous system. pathologic examination of the brain reveals white matter rarefaction, perivascular infiltrates of lymphocytes, foamy macrophages, and multinucleated giant cells. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp760-1; n engl j med, 1995 apr 6;332(14):934-40)

• Alzheimer Disease

  a degenerative disease of the brain characterized by the insidious onset of dementia. impairment of memory, judgment, attention span, and problem solving skills are followed by severe apraxias and a global loss of cognitive abilities. the condition primarily occurs after age 60, and is marked pathologically by severe cortical atrophy and the triad of senile plaques; neurofibrillary tangles; and neuropil threads. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp1049-57)

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

  a degenerative disorder affecting upper motor neurons in the brain and lower motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord. disease onset is usually after the age of 50 and the process is usually fatal within 3 to 6 years. clinical manifestations include progressive weakness, atrophy, fasciculation, hyperreflexia, dysarthria, dysphagia, and eventual paralysis of respiratory function. pathologic features include the replacement of motor neurons with fibrous astrocytes and atrophy of anterior spinal nerve roots and corticospinal tracts. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp1089-94)

• CADASIL

  a familial, cerebral arteriopathy mapped to chromosome 19q12, and characterized by the presence of granular deposits in small cerebral arteries producing ischemic stroke; pseudobulbar palsy; and multiple subcortical infarcts (cerebral infarction). cadasil is an acronym for cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. cadasil differs from binswanger disease by the presence of migraine with aura and usually by the lack of history of arterial hypertension. (from bradley et al, neurology in clinical practice, 2000, p1146)

• Dementia

  an acquired organic mental disorder with loss of intellectual abilities of sufficient severity to interfere with social or occupational functioning. the dysfunction is multifaceted and involves memory, behavior, personality, judgment, attention, spatial relations, language, abstract thought, and other executive functions. the intellectual decline is usually progressive, and initially spares the level of consciousness.

• Dementia, Multi-Infarct

  loss of higher cortical functions with retained awareness due to multiple cortical or subcortical cerebral infarction. memory, judgment, attention span, and impulse control are often impaired, and may be accompanied by pseudobulbar palsy; hemiparesis; reflex abnormalities, and other signs of localized neurologic dysfunction. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, p1060)

• Dementia, Vascular

  an imprecise term referring to dementia associated with cerebrovascular disorders, including cerebral infarction (single or multiple), and conditions associated with chronic brain ischemia. diffuse, cortical, and subcortical subtypes have been described. (from gerontol geriatr 1998 feb;31(1):36-44)

• Frontotemporal Dementia

  the most common clinical form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, this dementia presents with personality and behavioral changes often associated with disinhibition, apathy, and lack of insight.

• Lewy Body Disease

  a neurodegenerative disease characterized by dementia, mild parkinsonism, and fluctuations in attention and alertness. the neuropsychiatric manifestations tend to precede the onset of bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and other extrapyramidal signs. delusions and visual hallucinations are relatively frequent in this condition. histologic examination reveals lewy bodies in the cerebral cortex and brain stem. senile plaques and other pathologic features characteristic of alzheimer disease may also be present. (from neurology 1997;48:376-380; neurology 1996;47:1113-1124)

• Mental Status and Dementia Tests

  tests designed to assess various aspects of neurocognitive function or dementia.

• Mixed Dementias

  dementias caused by multiple etiologies, e.g., alzheimer disease, and vascular dementia and/or lewy body disease.

• Pick Disease of the Brain

  a rare form of dementia that is sometimes familial. clinical features include aphasia; apraxia; confusion; anomia; memory loss; and personality deterioration. this pattern is consistent with the pathologic findings of circumscribed atrophy of the poles of the frontal lobe and temporal lobe. neuronal loss is maximal in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala. some ballooned cortical neurons contain argentophylic (pick) bodies. (from brain pathol 1998 apr;8(2):339-54; adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp1057-9)

• Postoperative Cognitive Complications

  cognitive impairment or functional decline after a surgical procedure.

• Prion Diseases

  a group of genetic, infectious, or sporadic degenerative human and animal nervous system disorders associated with abnormal prions. these diseases are characterized by conversion of the normal prion protein to an abnormal configuration via a post-translational process. in humans, these conditions generally feature dementia; ataxia; and a fatal outcome. pathologic features include a spongiform encephalopathy without evidence of inflammation. the older literature occasionally refers to these as unconventional slow virus diseases. (from proc natl acad sci usa 1998 nov 10;95(23):13363-83)

• Schizophrenia

  a severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, hallucinations, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.

• Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

  heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by frontal and temporal lobe atrophy associated with neuronal loss, gliosis, and dementia. patients exhibit progressive changes in social, behavioral, and/or language function. multiple subtypes or forms are recognized based on presence or absence of tau protein inclusions. ftld includes three clinical syndromes: frontotemporal dementia, semantic dementia, and primary progressive nonfluent aphasia.

• Cognitive Dysfunction

  diminished or impaired mental and/or intellectual function.

• Hallucinations

  subjectively experienced sensations in the absence of an appropriate stimulus, but which are regarded by the individual as real. they may be of organic origin or associated with mental disorders.

Code History

• FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
• FY 2023 - Code Added, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023