2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code I70.90

Unspecified atherosclerosis

ICD-10-CM Code:
I70.90
ICD-10 Code for:
Unspecified atherosclerosis
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the circulatory system
    (I00–I99)
    • Diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries
      (I70-I79)
      • Atherosclerosis
        (I70)

I70.90 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of unspecified atherosclerosis. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

The code I70.90 is applicable to adult patients aged 15 through 124 years inclusive. It is clinically and virtually impossible to use this code on a patient outside the stated age range.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like I70.90 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.

Approximate Synonyms

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

  • Abnormal diffuse intimal thickening of artery
  • Acute occlusion of artery
  • Arteriosclerosis obliterans
  • Arteriosclerotic vascular disease
  • Arteriovascular degeneration
  • Asymptomatic chronic arterial occlusive disease
  • Asymptomatic occlusion of artery
  • Atheroma of artery
  • Atherosclerosis of artery
  • Atherosclerosis, deafness, diabetes, epilepsy, nephropathy syndrome
  • Atherosclerotic occlusive disease
  • Atherosclerotic plaque disruption with thrombosis of artery
  • Calciphylaxis
  • Condition of arterial wall - finding
  • Endarteritis
  • Endarteritis
  • Endarteritis
  • Endarteritis deformans
  • Endarteritis obliterans
  • Hardened arteries
  • Ischemic ulcer of lower leg due to atherosclerotic disease
  • Multifocal atherosclerosis
  • Non-uremic calcific arteriolopathy
  • Senile arteriosclerosis
  • Senile arteritis
  • Senile endarteritis
  • Vascular degeneration

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Atherosclerosis

    a thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries that occurs with formation of atherosclerotic plaques within the arterial intima.
  • Coronary Artery Disease

    pathological processes of coronary arteries that may derive from a congenital abnormality, atherosclerotic, or non-atherosclerotic cause.
  • Intracranial Arteriosclerosis

    vascular diseases characterized by thickening and hardening of the walls of arteries inside the skull. there are three subtypes: (1) atherosclerosis with fatty deposits in the arterial intima; (2) monckeberg's sclerosis with calcium deposits in the media and (3) arteriolosclerosis involving the small caliber arteries. clinical signs include headache; confusion; transient blindness (amaurosis fugax); speech impairment; and hemiparesis.
  • Calciphylaxis

    condition of induced systemic hypersensitivity in which tissues respond to appropriate challenging agents with a sudden local calcification.
  • Endarteritis

    inflammation of the inner endothelial lining (tunica intima) of an artery.
  • Arteriosclerosis Obliterans

    common occlusive arterial disease which is caused by atherosclerosis. it is characterized by lesions in the innermost layer (arterial intima) of arteries including the aorta and its branches to the extremities. risk factors include smoking, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.
  • Tunica Intima

    the innermost layer of an artery or vein, made up of one layer of endothelial cells and supported by an internal elastic lamina.
  • Calciphylaxis

    a rare syndrome characterized by vascular calcification and skin necrosis. it seen in patients with end stage renal disease.
  • Endarteritis

    inflammation of the arterial intima.

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).

Code Edits

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

  • Adult diagnoses - The Medicare Code Editor detects inconsistencies in adult cases by checking a patient's age and any diagnosis on the patient's record. The adult code edits apply to patients age range is 15–124 years inclusive (e.g., senile delirium, mature cataract).

Convert I70.90 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 440.9 - Atherosclerosis NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Plaque is a sticky substance made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. That limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your body.

Atherosclerosis can lead to serious problems, including:

  • Coronary artery disease. These arteries supply blood to your heart. When they are blocked, you can suffer angina or a heart attack.
  • Carotid artery disease. These arteries supply blood to your brain. When they are blocked you can suffer a stroke.
  • Peripheral arterial disease. These arteries are in your arms, legs and pelvis. When they are blocked, you can suffer from numbness, pain and sometimes infections.

Atherosclerosis usually doesn't cause symptoms until it severely narrows or totally blocks an artery. Many people don't know they have it until they have a medical emergency.

A physical exam, imaging, and other diagnostic tests can tell if you have it. Medicines can slow the progress of plaque buildup. Your doctor may also recommend procedures such as angioplasty to open the arteries, or surgery on the coronary or carotid arteries. Lifestyle changes can also help. These include following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and managing stress.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


[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.