1. Home
  2. ICD-10-CM Codes
  3. F01–F99
  4. F70-F79
  5. F79
  6. 2025 ICD-10-CM Code F79

2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F79

Unspecified intellectual disabilities

ICD-10-CM Code:
F79
ICD-10 Code for:
Unspecified intellectual disabilities
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

F79 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of unspecified intellectual disabilities. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2024 through September 30, 2025.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like F79 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.

Code Classification

  • Mental and behavioural disorders
    F01–F99
    • Intellectual disabilities
      F70-F79
      • Unspecified intellectual disabilities
        F79

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.

  • 11p partial monosomy syndrome
  • ADNP-related multiple congenital anomalies, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder
  • Arachnodactyly
  • Arachnodactyly
  • Arachnodactyly and intellectual disability with facial dysmorphism syndrome
  • Arachnodactyly with abnormal ossification and intellectual disability syndrome
  • Athetoid cerebral palsy
  • Below average intellect
  • Blepharophimosis, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Blepharophimosis, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Brachycephaly
  • Brachydactyly, mesomelia, intellectual disability, heart defect syndrome
  • Brain malformations, musculoskeletal abnormalities, facial dysmorphism, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Childhood obesity
  • Combined malformation of central nervous system and skeletal muscle
  • Congenital hepatic fibrosis
  • Congenital nuclear ophthalmoplegia
  • Congenital plicated tongue
  • Cryptorchidism, arachnodactyly, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Deletion of part of chromosome 11
  • Deletion of part of chromosome 21
  • Disorder of sex development with intellectual disability syndrome
  • DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome
  • DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome due to 21q22.13q22.2 microdeletion
  • Dyskinetic cerebral palsy
  • Hepatic fibrosis, renal cyst, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Hypertelorism
  • Hypogonadism with mitral valve prolapse and intellectual disability syndrome
  • Intellectual disability
  • Intellectual disability due to nutritional deficiency
  • Intellectual disability Wolff type
  • Intellectual disability, brachydactyly, Pierre Robin syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, congenital heart disease, blepharophimosis, blepharoptosis and hypoplastic teeth
  • Intellectual disability, craniofacial dysmorphism, hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, feeding difficulties, developmental delay, microcephaly syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, polydactyly, uncombable hair syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, seizures, macrocephaly, obesity syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, severe speech delay, mild dysmorphism syndrome
  • Intellectual disability, short stature, hypertelorism syndrome
  • Intellectual functioning disability
  • Kagami Ogata syndrome
  • Low intelligence
  • Mesomelic dysplasia of upper limb
  • Microcephaly, seizure, intellectual disability, heart disease syndrome
  • Micromelia
  • Non-spastic cerebral palsy
  • Ophthalmoplegia, intellectual disability, lingua scrotalis syndrome
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta, retinopathy, seizures, intellectual disability syndrome
  • Paralysis of tongue
  • Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development with loss of previously acquired skills
  • Pervasive developmental disorder with disorder of intellectual development without loss of previously acquired skills
  • Plicated tongue
  • Polyneuropathy, intellectual disability, acromicria, premature menopause syndrome
  • PPP2R5D-related intellectual disability
  • Premature ovarian failure
  • Robin sequence
  • Severe microbrachycephaly, intellectual disability, athetoid cerebral palsy syndrome
  • WAGR syndrome
  • White matter hypoplasia, corpus callosum agenesis, intellectual disability syndrome
  • White Sutton syndrome

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.

Neurodevelopmental disorders

CCSR Code: MBD014

Inpatient Default: Y - Yes, default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Outpatient Default: Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Clinical Information

  • Intellectual Disability

    subnormal intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period. this has multiple potential etiologies, including genetic defects and perinatal insults. intelligence quotient (iq) scores are commonly used to determine whether an individual has an intellectual disability. iq scores between 70 and 79 are in the borderline range. scores below 67 are in the disabled range. (from joynt, clinical neurology, 1992, ch55, p28)

  • X-Linked Intellectual Disability

    a class of genetic disorders resulting in intellectual disability that is associated either with mutations of genes located on the x chromosome or aberrations in the structure of the x chromosome (sex chromosome aberrations).

  • Arachnodactyly

    an abnormal bone development that is characterized by extra long and slender hands and fingers, such that the clenched thumb extends beyond the ulnar side of the hand. arachnodactyly can include feet and toes. arachnodactyly has been associated with several gene mutations and syndromes.

  • WAGR Syndrome

    a contiguous gene syndrome associated with hemizygous deletions of chromosome region 11p13. the condition is marked by the combination of wilms tumor; aniridia; genitourinary abnormalities; and intellectual disability.

  • Hypertelorism

    abnormal increase in the interorbital distance due to overdevelopment of the lesser wings of the sphenoid.

  • Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis

    a congenital disorder usually inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. it affects the hepatobiliary system and the kidneys. it is characterized by liver fibrosis, portal hypertension, and renal cysts.

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.
  • Mental deficiency NOS
  • Mental subnormality NOS

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).

Convert F79 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.

Intellect disability NOS

ICD-9-CM: 319

Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means this ICD-10 code does not have an exact ICD-9 equivalent. The matched code is the closest available option, but it may not fully capture the original diagnosis or clinical intent.

View Conversion

Patient Education


Developmental Disabilities

Developmental disabilities are severe, long-term problems. They may be physical, such as blindness. They may affect mental ability, such as learning disabilities. Or the problem can be both physical and mental, such as Down syndrome. The problems are usually life-long, and can affect everyday living.

There are many causes of developmental disabilities, including:

  • Genetic or chromosome abnormalities. These cause conditions such as Down syndrome and Rett syndrome.
  • Prenatal exposure to substances. For example, drinking alcohol when pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
  • Certain infections in pregnancy
  • Preterm birth

Often there is no cure, but treatment can help the symptoms. Treatments include physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Special education classes and psychological counseling can also help.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development


[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.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.