Osteoporosis without current pathological fracture (M81)

ICD-10 code M81 covers osteoporosis without a current pathological fracture, identifying different types of bone weakening conditions where fractures have not yet occurred. This section is used to classify cases like age-related osteoporosis (M81.0), localized osteoporosis (M81.6), and other specified osteoporosis types (M81.8).

These codes are applied when documenting osteoporosis conditions such as postmenopausal osteoporosis, also known as primary osteoporosis, or senile osteoporosis, which are included under M81.0. Localized forms of osteoporosis, sometimes called Lequesne osteoporosis, fall under M81.6. The M81.8 code covers a broader range of osteoporosis causes, including drug-induced osteoporosis, osteoporosis due to endocrine disorders, chronic kidney disease-related bone disease, and rare types like transient osteoporosis of the hip or osteoporosis linked with malabsorption or multiple myeloma. Medical coders use these codes to specify osteoporosis conditions without fractures, helping ensure accurate clinical documentation and billing related to bone health management. Understanding synonyms like osteoporotic kyphosis or primary osteoporosis helps connect clinical terms to the correct ICD-10 code for osteoporosis without pathological fracture.

Instructional Notations

Use Additional Code

The “use additional code” indicates that a secondary code could be used to further specify the patient’s condition. This note is not mandatory and is only used if enough information is available to assign an additional code.

  • code to identify:
  • major osseous defect, if applicable M89.7
  • personal history of healed osteoporosis fracture, if applicable Z87.310

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.

  • osteoporosis with current pathological fracture M80
  • Sudeck's atrophy M89.0

Clinical Terms

The following clinical terms provide additional context, helping users better understand the clinical background and common associations for each diagnosis listed in this section. Including related terms alongside ICD-10-CM codes supports coders, billers, and healthcare professionals in improving accuracy, enhancing documentation, and facilitating research or patient education.

Osteoporosis

Reduction of bone mass without alteration in the composition of bone, leading to fractures. Primary osteoporosis can be of two major types: postmenopausal osteoporosis (OSTEOPOROSIS, POSTMENOPAUSAL) and age-related or senile osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal

Metabolic disorder associated with fractures of the femoral neck, vertebrae, and distal forearm. It occurs commonly in women within 15-20 years after menopause, and is caused by factors associated with menopause including estrogen deficiency.