ICD-10-CM Code I10

Essential (primary) hypertension

  1. ICD-10-CM Index
  2. Chapter: I00–I99
  3. Section: I10-I16
  4. Block: primary
  5. I10 - Essential (primary) hypertension
Version 2020 Replaced Code Billable Code Questionable Admission Codes Family Practice Internal Medicine Cardiology OB/GYN

Valid for Submission

I10 is a billable code used to specify a medical diagnosis of essential (primary) hypertension. The code is valid for the year 2020 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. The ICD-10-CM code I10 might also be used to specify conditions or terms like benign essential hypertension, benign essential hypertension complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium - delivered with postnatal complication, benign hypertension, brachydactyly and arterial hypertension syndrome, brachydactyly syndrome type e, chronic hypertension in obstetric context, etc

The code I10 is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used as a principal diagnosis.

The code is commonly used in family practice, internal medicine, cardiology, ob/gyn medical specialties to specify clinical concepts such as hypertension.

ICD-10:I10
Short Description:Essential (primary) hypertension
Long Description:Essential (primary) hypertension

Replaced Code

This code was replaced in the 2020 ICD-10 code set with the code(s) listed below. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has published an update to the ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes which became effective October 1, 2019. This code was replaced for the FY 2020 (October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2020).

  • I16.0 - Hypertensive urgency
  • I16.1 - Hypertensive emergency
  • I16.9 - Hypertensive crisis, unspecified

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10 codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more. The following references are applicable to the code I10:

Includes

Includes
This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.
  • high blood pressure
  • hypertension (arterial) (benign) (essential) (malignant) (primary) (systemic)

Type 1 Excludes

Type 1 Excludes
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • hypertensive disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium O10 O11 O13 O16

Type 2 Excludes

Type 2 Excludes
A type 2 excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.
  • essential primary hypertension involving vessels of brain I60 I69
  • essential primary hypertension involving vessels of eye H35.0

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 I10 are found in the index:


Code Edits

The Medicare Code Editor (MCE) detects and reports errors in the coding of claims data. The following ICD-10 Code Edits are applicable to this code:

  • Questionable admission codes - Some diagnoses are not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital. For example, if a patient is given code R030 for elevated blood pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension, then the patient would have a questionable admission, since elevated blood pressure reading is not normally sufficient justification for admission to a hospital.

Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Benign essential hypertension
  • Benign essential hypertension complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium - delivered with postnatal complication
  • Benign hypertension
  • Brachydactyly and arterial hypertension syndrome
  • Brachydactyly syndrome type E
  • Chronic hypertension in obstetric context
  • Diastolic hypertension
  • Diastolic hypertension and systolic hypertension
  • Essential hypertension
  • Essential hypertension in obstetric context
  • Good hypertension control
  • Grange syndrome
  • Hereditary dysplasia of blood vessel
  • High-renin essential hypertension
  • Hypertension in the obstetric context
  • Hypertension monitoring offer default
  • Hypertension monitoring status
  • Hypertension with albuminuria
  • Hypertensive complication
  • Hypertensive disorder
  • Hypertensive emergency
  • Hypertensive optic neuropathy
  • Hypertensive treatment changed
  • Intermittent hypertension
  • Labile diastolic hypertension
  • Labile essential hypertension
  • Labile systemic arterial hypertension
  • Low-renin essential hypertension
  • Malignant essential hypertension
  • Malignant hypertension
  • Rebound hypertension
  • Resistant hypertensive disorder
  • Supine hypertension
  • Sustained diastolic hypertension
  • Systolic essential hypertension
  • Systolic hypertension
  • Transient hypertension

Diagnostic Related Groups

The ICD-10 code I10 is grouped in the following groups for version MS-DRG V37.0 What are Diagnostic Related Groups?
The Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) are a patient classification scheme which provides a means of relating the type of patients a hospital treats. The DRGs divides all possible principal diagnoses into mutually exclusive principal diagnosis areas referred to as Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC). applicable from 10/01/2019 through 09/30/2020.

  • 304 - HYPERTENSION WITH MCC
  • 305 - HYPERTENSION WITHOUT MCC

Convert I10 to ICD-9

  • 401.0 - Malignant hypertension (Approximate Flag)
  • 401.1 - Benign hypertension (Approximate Flag)
  • 401.9 - Hypertension NOS (Approximate Flag)

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the circulatory system (I00–I99)
    • Hypertensive diseases (I10-I16)
      • Essential hypertension (I10) (primary)

Code History

  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016
    (First year ICD-10-CM implemented into the HIPAA code set)
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020

Information for Patients


High Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic pressure.

Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually the systolic number comes before or above the diastolic number. For example, 120/80 means a systolic of 120 and a diastolic of 80.

How is high blood pressure diagnosed?

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. So the only way to find out if you have it is to get regular blood pressure checks from your health care provider. Your provider will use a gauge, a stethoscope or electronic sensor, and a blood pressure cuff. He or she will take two or more readings at separate appointments before making a diagnosis.

You have high blood pressure if your readings show that

  • Your systolic is 140 or higher OR
  • Your diastolic is 90 or higher

Some providers may consider you to have high blood pressure if you have other heart risk factors and

  • Your systolic is between 130 and 139 OR
  • Your diastolic is between 80 and 89

Blood pressure readings above 180 /120 are dangerously high and require immediate medical attention.

For children and teens, the health care provider compares the blood pressure reading to what is normal for other kids who are the same age, height, and gender.

What are the different types of high blood pressure?

There are two main types of high blood pressure: primary and secondary high blood pressure.

  • Primary, or essential, high blood pressure is the most common type of high blood pressure. For most people who get this kind of blood pressure, it develops over time as you get older.
  • Secondary high blood pressure is caused by another medical condition or use of certain medicines. It usually gets better after you treat that condition or stop taking the medicines that are causing it.

Why do I need to worry about high blood pressure?

When your blood pressure stays high over time, it causes the heart to pump harder and work overtime, possibly leading to serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.

What are the treatments for high blood pressure?

Treatments for high blood pressure include heart-healthy lifestyle changes and medicines.

You will work with your provider to come up with a treatment plan. It may include only the lifestyle changes. These changes, such as heart-healthy eating and exercise, can be very effective. But sometimes the changes do not control or lower your high blood pressure. Then you may need to take medicine. There are different types of blood pressure medicines. Some people need to take more than one type.

If your high blood pressure is caused by another medical condition or medicine, treating that condition or stopping the medicine may lower your blood pressure.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


[Learn More]

Hypertension Hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries, which are the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As the heart beats, it forces blood through the arteries to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the rest of the body. The strength of the blood pushing against the artery walls is blood pressure, which is measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The top number in a blood pressure reading is the pressure when the heart pumps (systolic blood pressure), and the bottom number is the pressure between heart beats (diastolic blood pressure). In adults, a normal blood pressure measurement is about 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure is considered high when the measurement is 130/80 mmHg or greater.Hypertension usually has no symptoms, and many affected individuals do not know they have the condition. However, hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and eye problems. When blood pressure is elevated, the heart and arteries have to work harder than normal to pump blood through the body. The extra work thickens the muscles of the heart and arteries and hardens or damages artery walls. As a result, the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart and other organs is reduced. Damage to the heart caused by the extra work and a lack of oxygen causes heart disease. In addition, damage to the arteries increases the risk of blood clots that block the flow of blood to the heart, causing a heart attack, or to the brain, causing a type of stroke known as an ischemic stroke. Another type of stroke, called a hemorrhagic stroke, can occur when a weakened blood vessel in the brain bursts. Damage to blood vessels in the kidneys impairs their ability to filter waste and remove fluid, leading to kidney failure. Problems with blood flow in the arteries of the eyes can lead to vision loss.In rare cases, dangerously high blood pressure can cause severe headaches, confusion, shortness of breath, chest pain, or nosebleeds.In about 95 percent of cases, the cause of hypertension is unknown. These cases are classified as essential hypertension. When hypertension results from an underlying condition, such as blood vessel defects that reduce blood flow; kidney disorders, which alter the amount of fluids and salts in the body; or problems with hormone-producing glands called the adrenal glands or the thyroid gland, it is classified as secondary hypertension. Hypertension is a key feature of some rare genetic disorders, including familial hyperaldosteronism, pseudohypoaldosteronism type 2, Liddle syndrome, Bartter syndrome, Gitelman syndrome, and tumors known as paragangliomas.
[Learn More]

Previous Code: I09.9

Related Codes

Next Code: I11