2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F10.931

Alcohol use, unspecified with withdrawal delirium

ICD-10-CM Code:
F10.931
ICD-10 Code for:
Alcohol use, unspecified with withdrawal delirium
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Mental and behavioural disorders
    (F01–F99)
    • Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use
      (F10-F19)
      • Alcohol related disorders
        (F10)

F10.931 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of alcohol use, unspecified with withdrawal delirium. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like F10.931 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Clinical Classification

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).

Replacement Code

F10931 replaces the following previously assigned ICD-10-CM code(s):

  • F10.988 - Alcohol use, unspecified with other alcohol-induced disorder

Patient Education


Alcohol

If you are like many Americans, you drink alcohol at least occasionally. For many people, moderate drinking is probably safe. But drinking less is better for your health than drinking more. And there are some people who should not drink at all.

Because drinking too much can be harmful, it's important to know how alcohol affects you and how much is too much.

How does alcohol affect the body?

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. This means that it is a drug that slows down brain activity. It can change your mood, behavior, and self-control. It can cause problems with memory and thinking clearly. Alcohol can also affect your coordination and physical control.

Alcohol also has effects on the other organs in your body. For example, it can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. If you drink too much at once, it could make you throw up.

Why are the effects of alcohol different from person to person?

Alcohol's effects vary from person to person, depending on a variety of factors, including:

  • How much you drank
  • How quickly you drank it
  • The amount of food you ate before drinking
  • Your age
  • Your sex
  • Your race or ethnicity
  • Your physical condition
  • Whether or not you have a family history of alcohol problems

What is moderate drinking?

  • For most women, moderate drinking is no more than one standard drink a day
  • For most men, moderate drinking is no more than two standard drinks a day

Even though moderate drinking may be safe for many people, there are still risks. Moderate drinking can raise the risk of death from certain cancers and heart diseases.

What is a standard drink?

In the United States, a standard drink is one that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in:

  • 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol content)
  • 5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol content)
  • 1.5 ounces or a "shot" of distilled spirits or liquor (40% alcohol content)

Who should not drink alcohol?

Some people should not drink alcohol at all, including those who:

  • Are recovering from an alcohol use disorder (AUD) or are unable to control the amount they drink
  • Are under age 21
  • Are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
  • Are taking medicines that can interact with alcohol
  • Have medical conditions that get can worse if you drink alcohol
  • Are planning on driving
  • Will be operating machinery

If you have questions about whether it is safe for you to drink, talk with your health care provider.

What is excessive drinking?

Excessive drinking includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use:

  • Binge drinking is drinking so much at once that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is 0.08% or more. For a man, this usually happens after having 5 or more drinks within a few hours. For a woman, it is after about 4 or more drinks within a few hours.
  • Heavy alcohol use is having having more than 4 drinks on any day for men or more than 3 drinks for women

Binge drinking raises your risk of injuries, car crashes, and alcohol poisoning. It also puts you of becoming violent or being the victim of violence.

Heavy alcohol use over a long period of time may cause health problems such as:

  • Alcohol use disorder
  • Liver diseases, including cirrhosis and fatty liver disease
  • Heart diseases
  • Increased risk for certain cancers
  • Increased risk of injuries

Heavy alcohol use can also cause problems at home, at work, and with friends. But treatment can help.

NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Delirium

What is delirium?

Delirium is a mental state in which you are confused, disoriented, and not able to think or remember clearly. It usually starts suddenly. It is often temporary and treatable.

There are three types of delirium:

  • Hypoactive, where you are not active and seem sleepy, tired, or depressed
  • Hyperactive, where you are restless or agitated
  • Mixed, where you change back and forth between being hypoactive and hyperactive

What causes delirium?

There are many different problems that can cause delirium. Some of the more common causes include:

  • Alcohol or drugs, either from intoxication or withdrawal. This includes a serious type of alcohol withdrawal syndrome called delirium tremens. It usually happens to people who stop drinking after years of alcohol abuse.
  • Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances
  • Dementia
  • Hospitalization, especially in intensive care
  • Infections, such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and the flu
  • Medicines. This could be a side effect of a medicine, such as sedatives or opioids. Or it could be withdrawal after stopping a medicine.
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Organ failure, such as kidney or liver failure
  • Poisoning
  • Serious illnesses
  • Severe pain
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Surgeries, including reactions to anesthesia

Who is at risk for delirium?

Certain factors put you at risk for delirium, including:

  • Being in a hospital or nursing home
  • Dementia
  • Having a serious illness or more than one illness
  • Having an infection
  • Older age
  • Surgery
  • Taking medicines that affect the mind or behavior
  • Taking high doses of pain medicines, such as opioids

What are the symptoms of delirium?

The symptoms of delirium usually start suddenly, over a few hours or a few days. They often come and go. The most common symptoms include:

  • Changes in alertness (usually more alert in the morning, less at night)
  • Changing levels of consciousness
  • Confusion
  • Disorganized thinking, talking in a way that doesn't make sense
  • Disrupted sleep patterns, sleepiness
  • Emotional changes: anger, agitation, depression, irritability, overexcitement
  • Hallucinations and delusions
  • Incontinence
  • Memory problems, especially with short-term memory
  • Trouble concentrating

How is delirium diagnosed?

Your health care provider may use many tools to make a diagnosis:

  • A medical history, which includes asking about your symptoms
  • Physical and neurological exams
  • Mental status testing
  • Lab and diagnostic imaging tests

Delirium and dementia have similar symptoms, so it can be hard to tell them apart. They can also occur together. Delirium starts suddenly and can cause hallucinations. The symptoms may get better or worse and can last for hours or weeks. On the other hand, dementia develops slowly and does not cause hallucinations. The symptoms are stable and may last for months or years.

What are the treatments for delirium?

Treatment of delirium focuses on the causes and symptoms of delirium. The first step is to identify the cause. Often, treating the cause will lead to a full recovery. The recovery may take some time - weeks or sometimes even months. In the meantime, there may be treatments to manage the symptoms, such as:

  • Controlling the environment, which includes making sure that the room is quiet and well-lit, having clocks or calendars in view, and having family members around
  • Medicines, including those that control aggression or agitation and pain relievers if there is pain
  • If needed, making sure that the person has a hearing aid, glasses, or other devices for communication

Can delirium be prevented?

Treating the conditions that can cause delirium may reduce the risk of getting it. Hospitals can help lower the risk of delirium by avoiding sedatives and making sure that the room is kept quiet, calm, and well-lit. It can also help to have family members around and to have the same staff members treat the person.


[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 - Code Added, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.