2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R54Age-related physical debility

ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R50-R69›R54

ICD-10-CM R54
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

R54 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for age-related physical debility. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 884. 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 Other general signs and symptoms.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
R54
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Age-related physical debility
Short Description
Age-related physical debility
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Chapter
R50-R69
General symptoms and signs

Code Classification

ChapterR00–R99Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
SectionR50-R69General symptoms and signs
CategoryR54Age-related physical debility
This CodeR54Age-related physical debility

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for R54.

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.

  • Aging
  • Asthenia
  • Attacks of weakness
  • Cachexia
  • Distribution of body fat loss - finding
  • Exhausted on least exertion
  • Exhaustion
  • Exhaustion - physiological
  • Extreme old age
  • Fatigability
  • Fatigue
  • Finding of general energy
  • Frail elderly
  • Frailty
  • General health deterioration
  • Lack of energy
  • Lethargy
  • Malaise
  • Malaise and fatigue
  • Old-age
  • Problem of aging
  • Quickly exhausted
  • Senile asthenia
  • Senile exhaustion

Tabular List NotesGuidance

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

Inclusion Terms

  • Frailty
  • Old age
  • Senescence
  • Senile asthenia
  • Senile debility

Type 1 Excludes

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.

    • Asthenia, asthenic
      • senile
    • Atrophia
      • senilis
    • Atrophy, atrophic(of)
      • old age
    • Atrophy, atrophic(of)
      • senile
    • Cachexia
      • old age
    • Cachexia
      • senile
    • Catabolism, senile
    • Change(s) (in) (of)
      • senile
    • Debility(chronic) (general) (nervous)
      • old age
    • Debility(chronic) (general) (nervous)
      • senile
    • Decay
      • senile
    • Degeneration, degenerative
      • senile
    • Deterioration
      • senile (simple)
    • Dysfunction
      • senile
    • Exhaustion, exhaustive(physical NEC)
      • old age
    • Exhaustion, exhaustive(physical NEC)
      • senile
    • Failure, failed
      • senile (general)
    • Fatigue
      • senile
    • Fibrosis, fibrotic
      • senile
    • Frailty(frail)
    • Infirmity
      • senile
    • Marasmus
      • senile
    • Old age(without mention of debility)
    • Presbycardia
    • Prostration
      • senile
    • Senectus
    • Senescence(without mention of psychosis)
    • Senile, senility
      • asthenia
    • Senile, senility
      • debility
    • Senile, senility
      • heart (failure)
    • Tremor(s)
      • senilis
    • Weak, weakening, weakness(generalized)
      • senile

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR SYM016
Other general signs and symptoms
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Asthenia

    clinical sign or symptom manifested as debility, or lack or loss of strength and energy.

  • Neurocirculatory Asthenia

    a clinical syndrome characterized by palpitation, shortness of breath, labored breathing, subjective complaints of effort and discomfort, all following slight physical exertion. other symptoms may be dizziness, tremulousness, sweating, and insomnia. neurocirculatory asthenia is most typically seen as a form of anxiety disorder.

  • Lethargy

    a general state of sluggishness, listless, or uninterested, with being tired, and having difficulty concentrating and doing simple tasks. it may be related to depression or drug addiction.

  • Cachexia

    general ill health, malnutrition, and weight loss, usually associated with chronic disease.

  • Frailty

    a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, following declines in function and reserves across multiple physiologic systems, characterized by muscle weakness; fatigue; slowed motor performance; low physical activity; and unintentional weight loss.

  • Frail Elderly

    older adults or aged individuals who are lacking in general strength and are unusually susceptible to disease or to other infirmity.

  • Alert Fatigue, Health Personnel

    mental fatigue experienced by health care providers who encounter numerous alerts and reminders from the use of clinical decision support systems. as the numbers of alerts and reminders designed to provide meaningful assistance to the patient care process increases, many health personnel may ignore them.

  • Asthenopia

    term generally used to describe complaints related to refractive error, ocular muscle imbalance, including pain or aching around the eyes, burning and itchiness of the eyelids, ocular fatigue, and headaches.

  • Auditory Fatigue

    loss of sensitivity to sounds as a result of auditory stimulation, manifesting as a temporary shift in auditory threshold. the temporary threshold shift, tts, is expressed in decibels.

  • Compassion Fatigue

    emotional distress caused by repeated or prolonged expression of compassion or empathy. it may occur in individuals working in care giving professions.

  • Emotional Exhaustion

    a state of feeling emotionally overextended and drained.

  • Fatigue

    the state of weariness following a period of exertion, mental or physical, characterized by a decreased capacity for work and reduced efficiency to respond to stimuli.

  • Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic

    a syndrome characterized by persistent or recurrent fatigue, diffuse musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbances, and subjective cognitive impairment of 6 months duration or longer. symptoms are not caused by ongoing exertion; are not relieved by rest; and result in a substantial reduction of previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities. minor alterations of immune, neuroendocrine, and autonomic function may be associated with this syndrome. there is also considerable overlap between this condition and fibromyalgia. (from semin neurol 1998;18(2):237-42; ann intern med 1994 dec 15;121(12): 953-9)

  • Fractures, Stress

    fractures due to the strain caused by repetitive exercise. they are thought to arise from a combination of muscle fatigue and bone failure, and occur in situations where bone remodeling predominates over repair. the most common sites of stress fractures are the metatarsus; fibula; tibia; and femoral neck.

  • Heat Stress Disorders

    a group of conditions that develop due to overexposure or overexertion in excessive environmental heat.

  • Mental Fatigue

    a condition of low alertness or cognitive impairment, usually associated with prolonged mental activities or stress.

  • Muscle Fatigue

    a state arrived at through prolonged and strong contraction of a muscle. studies in athletes during prolonged submaximal exercise have shown that muscle fatigue increases in almost direct proportion to the rate of muscle glycogen depletion. muscle fatigue in short-term maximal exercise is associated with oxygen lack and an increased level of blood and muscle lactic acid, and an accompanying increase in hydrogen-ion concentration in the exercised muscle.

  • Voice Disorders

    pathological processes that affect voice production, usually involving vocal cords and the laryngeal mucosa. voice disorders can be caused by organic (anatomical), or functional (emotional or psychological) factors leading to dysphonia; aphonia; and defects in voice quality, loudness, and pitch.

  • Fibromyalgia

    a common nonarticular rheumatic syndrome characterized by myalgia and multiple points of focal muscle tenderness to palpation (trigger points). muscle pain is typically aggravated by inactivity or exposure to cold. this condition is often associated with general symptoms, such as sleep disturbances, fatigue, stiffness, headaches, and occasionally depression. there is significant overlap between fibromyalgia and the chronic fatigue syndrome (fatigue syndrome, chronic). fibromyalgia may arise as a primary or secondary disease process. it is most frequent in females aged 20 to 50 years. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, p1494-95)

  • Grade 2 Fatigue, CTCAE|CTCAE Grade 2 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)|Grade 2 Fatigue|Grade 2 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    fatigue not relieved by rest; limiting instrumental adl or mild/moderate impact on age-appropriate normal daily activity (pediatric)

  • Grade 2 Malaise, CTCAE|Grade 2 Malaise

    uneasiness or lack of well being limiting instrumental adl or mild/moderate impact on age-appropriate normal daily activity (pediatric)

  • Grade 3 Fatigue, CTCAE|CTCAE Grade 3 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)|Grade 3 Fatigue|Grade 3 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    fatigue not relieved by rest, limiting self-care adl or severe impact on age-appropriate normal daily activity (pediatric)

  • Grade 3 Malaise, CTCAE|Grade 3 Malaise

    uneasiness or lack of well being limiting self-care adl or severe impact on age-appropriate normal daily activity (pediatric)

  • Fatigue, CTCAE 3.0|Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    an unfavorable feeling of fatigue temporally associated with the use of a medical treatment or procedure.

  • Grade 1 Fatigue, CTCAE|CTCAE Grade 1 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)|Grade 1 Fatigue|Grade 1 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    fatigue relieved by rest

  • Grade 1 Malaise, CTCAE|Grade 1 Malaise

    uneasiness or lack of well being

  • Grade 2 Fatigue, CTCAE|CTCAE Grade 2 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)|Grade 2 Fatigue|Grade 2 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    fatigue not relieved by rest; limiting instrumental adl

  • Grade 2 Malaise, CTCAE|Grade 2 Malaise

    uneasiness or lack of well being limiting instrumental adl

  • Grade 3 Fatigue, CTCAE|CTCAE Grade 3 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)|Grade 3 Fatigue|Grade 3 Fatigue (asthenia, lethargy, malaise)

    fatigue not relieved by rest, limiting self care adl

  • Grade 3 Malaise, CTCAE|Grade 3 Malaise

    uneasiness or lack of well being limiting self-care adl

  • Malaise

    a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, an out-of-sorts feeling.

  • Malaise, CTCAE|Malaise|Malaise

    a disorder characterized by a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, an out-of-sorts feeling.

  • Post-Exertional Malaise|Post Exertional Malaise

    a feeling of malaise after physical or mental effort or stress.

Convert R54 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 R54Overview

Is R54 (Age-related physical debility) a billable code?

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

What MS-DRG does R54 group to?

When age-related physical debility is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 884 (organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability), which carries a relative weight of 1.6089. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Can R54 be a principal diagnosis?

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

Who can R54 be reported for?

The Medicare Code Editor checks age-related physical debility 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 R54?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, age-related physical debility 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.