J39.2CurrentBillable / specific

Other diseases of pharynx

Chapters 10 · Inherited instructions

Use additional code

code, where applicable, 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)

J39 · Inherited instructions

Excludes 1

acute respiratory infection NOS (J22)
acute upper respiratory infection (J06.9)
upper respiratory inflammation due to chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors (J68.2)

Excludes 2 · 11

J39.2

Excludes 2

chronic pharyngitis (J31.2)
ulcerative pharyngitis (J02.9)

Chapters 10 · Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)

Excludes 2

certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
neoplasms (C00-D49)
smoke inhalation (T59.81-)
symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)

Claims & coverage

Coverage depends on the payer, service and applicable policy. A billable code does not guarantee payment.

When ICD-10-CM is required

For US diagnosis claims covered by HIPAA, ICD-10-CM is required from October 1, 2015.

Use the service date for outpatient/professional claims and the discharge date for hospital inpatient claims. Earlier encounters use ICD-9-CM; each individual code must also be valid for the applicable date.

Official coding guidelines → · CMS ↗

Check Medicare coverage ↗

First observed · 2015-10-01

Code history

Latest recorded change · FY2017

ChangedUnchanged

FY2017

Effective from 2016-10-01

Inherited rules changed

Other diseases of pharynx

Billable diagnosis code

CDC/NCHS · FY2017

All editions (19)

All editions	Effective from	Code history
FY2016	2015-10-01	First observed
FY2017	2016-10-01	Inherited rules changed
FY2018	2017-10-01	No tabular change
FY2019	2018-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020	2019-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020 · April	2020-04-01	No tabular change
FY2021	2020-10-01	No tabular change
FY2021 · 01-01	2021-01-01	No tabular change
FY2022	2021-10-01	No tabular change
FY2022 · 04-01	2022-04-01	No tabular change
FY2023	2022-10-01	No tabular change
FY2023 · 04-01	2023-04-01	No tabular change
FY2024	2023-10-01	No tabular change
FY2024 · 04-01	2024-04-01	No tabular change
FY2025	2024-10-01	No tabular change
FY2025 · 04-01	2025-04-01	No tabular change
FY2026	2025-10-01	No tabular change
FY2026 · April	2026-04-01	No tabular change
FY2027	2026-10-01	No tabular change

Historical ICD-9 mappings · 2018

Historical mapping only; not an automatic code substitution.

478.25 · Approximate
478.26 · Approximate
478.29 · Approximate

CDC/NCHS · GEM 2018

Code-level instructions

Includes

Cyst of pharynx
Edema of pharynx

Excludes 2

chronic pharyngitis (J31.2)
ulcerative pharyngitis (J02.9)

Inherited instructions

Chapters 10 · Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)

Excludes 2

certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
neoplasms (C00-D49)
smoke inhalation (T59.81-)
symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)

Use additional code

code, where applicable, 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)

Note

When a respiratory condition is described as occurring in more than one site and is not specifically indexed, it should be classified to the lower anatomic site (e.g. tracheobronchitis to bronchitis in J40).

J39 · Other diseases of upper respiratory tract

Excludes 1

acute respiratory infection NOS (J22)
acute upper respiratory infection (J06.9)
upper respiratory inflammation due to chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors (J68.2)

Official index references (53)

Atrophy, atrophic(of) (1)

Atrophy, atrophic(of) › pharynxDisease index

Bursitis (1)

Bursitis › Thornwaldt, TornwaldtDisease index

Cicatrix(adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious) (4)

Cicatrix(adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious) › hypopharynxDisease index
Cicatrix(adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious) › nasopharynxDisease index
Cicatrix(adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious) › pharynxDisease index
Cicatrix(adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious) › throatDisease index

Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) (6)

Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › bursa, bursal NEC › pharyngealDisease index
Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › hypopharynxDisease index
Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › nasopharynxDisease index
Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › pharynx(wall)Disease index
Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › Thornwaldt'sDisease index
Cyst(colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention) › Tornwaldt'sDisease index

Deformity (1)

Deformity › pharynx(congenital) › acquiredDisease index

Dilatation (1)

Dilatation › pharynxDisease index

Disease, diseased (3)

Disease, diseased › pharynxDisease index
Disease, diseased › pharynx › specified NECDisease index
Disease, diseased › throatDisease index

Dry, dryness (1)

Dry, dryness › throatDisease index

Edema, edematous(infectious) (pitting) (toxic) (2)

Edema, edematous(infectious) (pitting) (toxic) › nasopharynxDisease index
Edema, edematous(infectious) (pitting) (toxic) › pharynxDisease index

Fistula(cutaneous) (3)

Fistula(cutaneous) › nasopharynxDisease index
Fistula(cutaneous) › pharyngoesophagealDisease index
Fistula(cutaneous) › pharynxDisease index

Gangrene, gangrenous(connective tissue) (dropsical) (dry) (moist) (skin) (ulcer) (1)

Gangrene, gangrenous(connective tissue) (dropsical) (dry) (moist) (skin) (ulcer) › retropharyngealDisease index

Hyperesthesia(body surface) (1)

Hyperesthesia(body surface) › pharynx(reflex)Disease index

Hyperplasia, hyperplastic (1)

Hyperplasia, hyperplastic › pharynx(lymphoid)Disease index

Hypertrophy, hypertrophic (1)

Hypertrophy, hypertrophic › pharynxDisease index

Irritation (1)

Irritation › pharynxDisease index

Keratosis (1)

Keratosis › pharynxDisease index

Lesion(s) (nontraumatic) (1)

Lesion(s) (nontraumatic) › pharynxDisease index

Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive (2)

Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive › nasopharynxDisease index
Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive › pharynxDisease index

Pain(s) (2)

Pain(s) › nasopharynxDisease index
Pain(s) › pharynxDisease index

Paralysis, paralytic(complete) (incomplete) (4)

Paralysis, paralytic(complete) (incomplete) › faucesDisease index
Paralysis, paralytic(complete) (incomplete) › pharynxDisease index
Paralysis, paralytic(complete) (incomplete) › throatDisease index
Paralysis, paralytic(complete) (incomplete) › throat › muscleDisease index

Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of) (1)

Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of) › pharynxDisease index

Pharyngoplegia (1)

PharyngoplegiaDisease index

Polyp, polypus (1)

Polyp, polypus › pharynxDisease index

Reflex (1)

Reflex › hyperactive gagDisease index

Spasm(s), spastic, spasticity (2)

Spasm(s), spastic, spasticity › pharynx(reflex)Disease index
Spasm(s), spastic, spasticity › throatDisease index

Stricture (3)

Tornwaldt's cyst or disease (1)

Tornwaldt's cyst or diseaseDisease index

Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative (5)

Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative › faucesDisease index
Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative › hypopharynxDisease index
Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative › nasopharynxDisease index
Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative › pharynxDisease index
Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative › throatDisease index

Related codes

Other entries in the same category; these are not automatic substitutes.

Code	Description	Category · further specificity required
J39.0	Retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscess	Billable / specific
J39.1	Other abscess of pharynx	Billable / specific
J39.3	Upper respiratory tract hypersensitivity reaction, site unspecified	Billable / specific
J39.8	Other specified diseases of upper respiratory tract	Billable / specific
J39.9	Disease of upper respiratory tract, unspecified	Billable / specific

Official titles and instructions are preserved in their source language. Official sources ↗