Simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis (J41)
ICD-10 code J41 covers diagnoses related to simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis, conditions characterized by ongoing inflammation of the bronchial tubes. These codes are used specifically for documenting and coding types of chronic bronchitis that involve varying levels of mucus and pus production in the airways.
The code J41.0 is assigned for simple chronic bronchitis, sometimes known as smokers' cough or catarrhal bronchitis, which typically involves chronic cough without notable pus. In contrast, J41.1 refers to mucopurulent chronic bronchitis, which includes purulent or fetid mucus due to chronic infection or inflammation. For cases exhibiting features of both forms, J41.8 applies to mixed simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis. These distinctions help clinicians and coders accurately capture the specific type of chronic bronchial inflammation, supporting proper treatment coding and epidemiologic tracking. Using these ICD-10 codes ensures clarity when documenting chronic obstructive pulmonary bronchiectasis associated with chronic bronchitis conditions.
Diseases of the respiratory system (J00–J99)
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J4A)
J41 Simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis
- J41.0 Simple chronic bronchitis
- J41.1 Mucopurulent chronic bronchitis
- J41.8 Mixed simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis
Simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis (J41)
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:
- exposure to environmental tobacco smoke Z77.22
- exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period P96.81
- history of tobacco dependence Z87.891
- occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke Z57.31
- tobacco dependence F17
- tobacco use Z72.0
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.
