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Headache is a symptom of a disease that can activate the pain-sensitive nerves of the head. Most commonly used ICD-10 Codes for Headache.

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Coding Knowledge Base, ICD-10, Medical Billing, Practice Management

ICD-10 Codes for Headache

Headaches are a common health problem — most people experience them at some time.Factors that lead to headaches may be: emotional, medical, physical, or environmental. Frequent or severe headaches can affect a person’s quality of life.

Knowing how to recognize the cause of a headache can help a person take appropriate action. Your headache symptoms can help your doctor determine its cause and the appropriate treatment. Most headaches aren’t the result of a serious illness, but some may result from a life-threatening condition requiring emergency care.

CAUSES OF HEADACHE

A primary headache is caused by overactivity of or problems with pain-sensitive structures in your head. A primary headache isn’t a symptom of an underlying disease.Chemical activity in your brain, the nerves or blood vessels surrounding your skull, or the muscles of your head and neck (or some combination of these factors) can play a role in primary headaches. Some people may also carry genes that make them more likely to develop such headaches.The most common primary headaches are cluster headaches, migraines, migraines with aura, tension headaches, and Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC), such as cluster headache and paroxysmal hemicrania.A few headache patterns also are generally considered types of primary headache, but are less common. These headaches have distinct features, such as an unusual duration or pain associated with a certain activity.Although generally considered primary, each could be a symptom of an underlying disease. They include chronic daily headaches, cough headaches, exercise headaches, and sex headaches. Some primary headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors, including alcohol, certain foods, changes in sleep, poor posture, skipped meals, and stress.

A secondary headache is a symptom of a disease that can activate the pain-sensitive nerves of the head. Any number of conditions — varying greatly in severity — may cause secondary headaches. Possible causes of secondary headaches include sinus infections, arterial tears, blood clot , brain aneurysm, brain tumor, carbon monoxide poisoning, chiari malformation, concussion, dehydration, dental problems, ear infection, encephalitis, giant cell arteritis, glaucoma, hangovers, hypertension, influenza, intracranial hematoma, meningitis, onosodium glutamate, panic attacks, post-concussion syndrome, pseudotumor cerebri, stroke, toxoplasmosis, and trigeminal neuralgia. Some types of secondary headaches include external compression headaches, ice cream headaches, medication overuse headaches, sinus headaches, spinal headaches, and thunderclap headaches.

TREATMENT FOR HEADACHES

Rest and pain relief medication are the main treatments for headaches. Options include over-the-counter pain relief medications (such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), prescription pain relief medications, preventive medication for specific conditions (such as migraine), and other treatments for underlying conditions. To prevent medication overuse headaches, it is crucial to follow a doctor’s guidance. Treating medication overuse headaches involves reducing or stopping the medication. A doctor can help develop a plan to ease off the medication safely. In extreme cases, a person may need a short hospital stay to manage withdrawal safely and effectively. Several alternative — now known as integrative — forms of headache treatment are available, but it is important to consult a doctor before making any major changes or beginning any new treatments. Some of these approaches include acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, herbal and nutritional health products, hypnosis, and meditation. Some evidence has suggested that migraine episodes may be more likely to occur when a person has low levels of magnesium and vitamin D. While the evidence is not conclusive, a person may find that taking 400–500 milligrams of magnesium oxide per day helps prevent episodes.

The table below includes the most commonly used ICD-10 codes for headache:

ICD-10 Chapter	Codes	Code Description
6	G43.001	Migraine without aura, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.009	Migraine without aura, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.011	Migraine without aura, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.019	Migraine without aura, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.101	Migraine with aura, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.109	Migraine with aura, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.111	Migraine with aura, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.119	Migraine with aura, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.401	Hemiplegic migraine, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.409	Hemiplegic migraine, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.411	Hemiplegic migraine, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.419	Hemiplegic migraine, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.501	Persistent migraine aura without cerebral infarction, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.509	Persistent migraine aura without cerebral infarction, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.511	Persistent migraine aura without cerebral infarction, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.519	Persistent migraine aura without cerebral infarction, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.601	Persistent migraine aura with cerebral infarction, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.609	Persistent migraine aura with cerebral infarction, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.611	Persistent migraine aura with cerebral infarction, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.619	Persistent migraine aura with cerebral infarction, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.701	Chronic migraine without aura, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.719	Chronic migraine without aura, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.711	Chronic migraine without aura, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.719	Chronic migraine without aura, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.A0	Cyclical vomiting in migraine, not intractable
6	G43.A1	Cyclical vomiting in migraine, intractable
6	G43.B0	Ophthalmoplegic migraine, not intractable
6	G43.B1	Ophthalmoplegic migraine, intractable
6	G43.C0	Periodic headache syndromes in child or adult, not intractable
6	G43.C1	Periodic headache syndromes in child or adult, intractable
6	G43.D0	Abdominal migraine, not intractable
6	G43.D1	Abdominal migraine, intractable
6	G43.801	Other migraine, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.809	Other migraine, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.811	Other migraine, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.819	Other migraine, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.821	Menstrual migraine, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.829	Menstrual migraine, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.831	Menstrual migraine, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.839	Menstrual migraine, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.901	Migraine, unspecified, not intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.909	Migraine, unspecified, not intractable without status migrainosus
6	G43.911	Migraine, unspecified, intractable with status migrainosus
6	G43.919	Migraine, unspecified, intractable without status migrainosus
6	G44.001	Cluster headache syndrome, unspecified, intractable
6	G44.009	Cluster headache syndrome, unspecified, not intractable
6	G44.011	Episodic cluster headache, intractable
6	G44.019	Episodic cluster headache, not intractable
6	G44.021	Chronic cluster headache, intractable
6	G44.029	Chronic cluster headache, not intractable
6	G44.031	Episodic paroxysmal hemicrania, intractable
6	G44.039	Episodic paroxysmal hemicrania, not intractable
6	G44.041	Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, intractable
6	G44.049	Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, not intractable
6	G44.051	Short lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT), intractable
6	G44.059	Short lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT), not intractable
6	G44.091	Other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TAC), intractable
6	G44.099	Other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TAC), not intractable
6	G44.1	Vascular headache, not elsewhere classified
6	G44.201	Tension-type headache, unspecified, intractable
6	G44.209	Tension-type headache, unspecified, not intractable
6	G44.211	Episodic tension-type headache, intractable
6	G44.219	Episodic tension-type headache, not intractable
6	G44.221	Chronic tension-type headache, intractable
6	G44.229	Chronic tension-type headache, not intractable
6	G44.301	Post-traumatic headache, unspecified, intractable
6	G44.309	Post-traumatic headache, unspecified, not intractable
6	G44.311	Acute post-traumatic headache, intractable
6	G44.319	Acute post-traumatic headache, not intractable
6	G44.321	Chronic post-traumatic headache, intractable
6	G44.329	Chronic post-traumatic headache, not intractable
6	G44.40	Drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified, not intractable
6	G44.41	Drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified, intractable
6	G44.51	Hemicrania continua
6	G44.52	New daily persistent headache (NDPH)
6	G44.53	Primary thunderclap headache
6	G44.59	Other complicated headache syndrome
6	G44.81	Hypnic headache
6	G44.82	Headache associated with sexual activity
6	G44.83	Primary cough headache
6	G44.84	Primary exertional headache
6	G44.85	Primary stabbing headache
6	G44.89	Other headache syndrome
18	R51	Headache

Author: Tonoya Ahmed

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