2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code E40

Kwashiorkor

• E40 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.
• The 2025 edition of ICD-10-CM E40 became effective on October 1, 2024.
• This is the American ICD-10-CM version of E40 – other international versions of ICD-10 E40 may differ.

Applicable To

• Severe malnutrition with nutritional edema with dyspigmentation of skin and hair

Type 1 Excludes

• marasmic kwashiorkor (E42)

The following code(s) above E40 contain annotation back-references

 that may be applicable to E40:

• E00-E89  Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
• E40-E46  Malnutrition

Clinical Information

• A syndrome produced by severe protein deficiency, characterized by retarded growth, changes in skin and hair pigment, edema, and pathologic changes in the liver, including fatty infiltration, necrosis, and fibrosis. The word is a local name in gold coast, africa, meaning “displaced child”. Although first reported from africa, kwashiorkor is now known throughout the world, but mainly in the tropics and subtropics. It is considered to be related to marasmus. (from Dorland, 27th ed)

ICD-10-CM E40 is grouped within Diagnostic Related Group(s) (MS-DRG v42.0):

• 640 Miscellaneous disorders of nutrition, metabolism, fluids and electrolytes with mcc
• 641 Miscellaneous disorders of nutrition, metabolism, fluids and electrolytes without mcc

Convert E40 to ICD-9-CMCode History

• 2016 (effective 10/1/2015): New code (first year of non-draft ICD-10-CM)
• 2017 (effective 10/1/2016): No change
• 2018 (effective 10/1/2017): No change
• 2019 (effective 10/1/2018): No change
• 2020 (effective 10/1/2019): No change
• 2021 (effective 10/1/2020): No change
• 2022 (effective 10/1/2021): No change
• 2023 (effective 10/1/2022): No change
• 2024 (effective 10/1/2023): No change
• 2025 (effective 10/1/2024): No change

Diagnosis Index entries containing back-references to E40:

• Edema, edematous (infectious) (pitting) (toxic) R60.9
  • nutritional – see also Malnutrition, severe
    • with dyspigmentation, skin and hair E40
• Kwashiorkor E40
• MalnutritionE46
  • degree
    • severe (protein-energy) E43
      • with
        • kwashiorkor E40
  • proteinE46
    • calorieE46
      • severeE43
        • with
          • kwashiorkor E40
    • energyE46
      • severeE43
        • with
          • kwashiorkor E40
  • malignant E40
  • severe (protein-energy) E43
    • with
      • kwashiorkor E40
• Pluricarential syndrome of infancy E40
• Polycarential syndrome of infancy E40
• Syndrome – see also Disease
  • pluricarential of infancy E40
  • plurideficiency E40
  • polycarential of infancy E40