The primary ICD-10-CM code for diarrhea is R19.7 (Diarrhea, unspecified), a billable code reported when diarrhea is documented without further specification of type, cause, or duration.
Primary codes
Code ranges
Other symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
Category for miscellaneous digestive and abdominal signs not classified to more specific symptom categories in the chapter.
Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
Sub-chapter grouping symptom-level findings of the GI tract and abdomen when a definitive diagnosis is not established.
Noninfective enteritis and colitis
Range covering inflammatory and other noninfective bowel conditions such as Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, and noninfective gastroenteritis.
Intestinal infectious diseases
Range covering infectious causes of diarrhea including cholera, salmonella, shigella, viral enteritis, and other intestinal infections.
Other functional intestinal disorders
Category for functional bowel disturbances including constipation, functional diarrhea, and other altered bowel habits without structural disease.
Coding risks
Avoid these common coding issues when reporting Diarrhea.
Impact
Assigning R19.7 without explicit chronicity may miscode chronic cases that belong in K52 or K59 categories.
Mitigation
Consider querying the provider when duration is absent rather than inferring from prior visit frequency.
Related codes
Ancillary and co-coding
Codes commonly reported with the primary diagnosis on the same claim.
Z-code variants
Family history, personal history, or screening encounter codes related to this condition.
Differential codes
Alternative or commonly confused codes to consider when documentation suggests a different condition than the primary diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
Use R19.7 only when documentation lacks a known cause or chronicity. Infectious, functional, or IBS-related diarrhea take precedence when specified.
References
Compiled from the following authoritative coding references. Last updated 2026-08-04.