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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

E40Kwashiorkor

✓ Billable / specificMCC — major complication/comorbidity

E40 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for kwashiorkor. It can be reported on claims for dates of service from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027.

Looking up by condition? See ICD-10 code for Kwashiorkor, ICD-10 code for Polycarential syndrome of infancy, ICD-10 code for Pluricarential syndrome of infancy.

Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About E40

E40 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for kwashiorkor. It belongs to block E40-E46 (malnutrition) and chapter 4 (endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Don't report E40 together with the conditions in its Excludes1 note: marasmic kwashiorkor (E42).

As a secondary diagnosis it is an MCC (major complication or comorbidity), which can move an inpatient stay into the highest-paying "with MCC" MS-DRG of its family, unless the principal diagnosis excludes it.

In MS-DRG v44.0, it is part of the grouping logic for DRG 640 (Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC, relative weight 1.3395) and DRG 641 (Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCC, relative weight 0.7865), in MDC 10 (Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases and Disorders), as a principal or secondary diagnosis. The DRG a claim lands in depends on the principal diagnosis, procedures and any CC/MCC secondary diagnoses.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as 260 (kwashiorkor).

Coding notes

Applicable toConditions and synonyms classified to this code
  • Severe malnutrition with nutritional edema with dyspigmentation of skin and hair
Excludes1Not coded here — never report together with this code
  • marasmic kwashiorkor (E42)

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to E40.

Broader instructions also apply from E40-E46 Malnutrition and Chapter 4: Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases.

Alphabetic index entries

12 entries

Terms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to E40.

Codes whose notes reference E40

MS-DRG v44.0 grouping

All DRGs →

Inpatient MS-DRGs this diagnosis can group to, as the principal or a secondary diagnosis, depending on the rest of the claim.

ICD-9-CM equivalent

Converter →
  • 260Kwashiorkorapproximate

From the CMS 2018 General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs), the final GEMs release.

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • No changes since FY2016.

Common questions about E40

Is E40 billable?

Yes. E40 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code valid for FY2027 (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).

Can E40 be used as a principal diagnosis?

Yes. The Medicare Code Editor doesn't restrict E40 as a principal diagnosis.

Is E40 a CC or MCC?

E40 is an MCC (major complication or comorbidity) under MS-DRG v44.0, unless excluded by the principal diagnosis.

What DRG does E40 group to?

E40 is used in the MS-DRG v44.0 logic for MS-DRG 640 (Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCC) and MS-DRG 641 (Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCC). Which one applies depends on whether it is the principal diagnosis and on the rest of the claim.

What is the ICD-9 code for E40?

The CMS General Equivalence Mappings map E40 to ICD-9-CM 260.