2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R41.81Age-related cognitive decline

ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R40-R46›R41

ICD-10-CM R41.81
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

R41.81 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for age-related cognitive decline. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is restricted by the Medicare Code Editor to adult patients (age 15 through 124). As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Nervous system signs and symptoms.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
R41.81
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Age-related cognitive decline
Short Description
Age-related cognitive decline
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
R41.8
Other symptoms and signs involving cognitive functions and awareness

Code Classification

ChapterR00–R99Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
SectionR40-R46Symptoms and signs involving cognition, perception, emotional state and behavior
CategoryR41Other symptoms and signs involving cognitive functions and awareness
This CodeR41.81Age-related cognitive decline

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for R41.81.

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).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Age-related cognitive decline
  • Aging
  • Old-age
  • Senility

Tabular List NotesGuidance

Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.

Inclusion Terms

  • Senility NOS

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Decline(general)
      • cognitive, age-associated
    • Frailty(frail)
      • mental
    • Senile, senility
    • Symptoms NEC
      • involving
        • awareness
          • senile cognitive decline
    • Symptoms NEC
      • involving
        • cognitive functions
          • senile cognitive decline

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR SYM010
Nervous system signs and symptoms
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Dementia

Dementia is a loss of mental functions that is severe enough to affect your daily life and activities. These functions include:

The full article covers:

  • What is dementia?
  • What are the types of dementia?
  • Who is at risk for dementia?
  • What are the symptoms of dementia?
  • How is dementia diagnosed?
  • What are the treatments for dementia?
  • Can dementia be prevented?

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert R41.81 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
797 Senility w/o psychosis
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About R41.81Overview

Is R41.81 a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report age-related cognitive decline on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Can R41.81 be a principal diagnosis?

Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the age-related cognitive decline is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.

Who can R41.81 be reported for?

The Medicare Code Editor checks age-related cognitive decline against patient demographics: this code is intended for adult patients (age 15 through 124). Claims outside these limits are flagged as inconsistent.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of R41.81?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, age-related cognitive decline converts to ICD-9-CM 797 (senility w/o psychosis). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.

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.