E40
Kwashiorkor
E40 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for kwashiorkor. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. The Alphabetic Index lists it under 12 entries. Its coding notes include 4 Excludes1 entries and 2 Excludes2 entries.
Excludes1
Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.
- marasmic kwashiorkor (E42)
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
Care settings
How CMS programs treat this code. These are CMS claim edits and list entries, not coverage or eligibility rules.
Home Health Primary
Accepted as the primary (principal) diagnosis on a home health claim. The Home Health Grouper assigns it to the MMTA - Endocrine clinical group.
Source: CMS Home Health Grouper Software v07.2.26, effective October 1, 2026Hospital MCC
Counts as a major complication or comorbidity (MCC) when reported as a secondary diagnosis on an inpatient claim. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 9 codes in its exclusion list. Some MS-DRGs also ignore a CC or MCC that defines the DRG.
Source: CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, effective October 1, 2026, Appendix CIPF Comorbidity
On the CMS IPF comorbidity list.
| Comorbidity category | Factor |
|---|---|
| Severe Protein Malnutrition | 1.17 |
Inclusion terms
Conditions classified to this code.
- Severe malnutrition with nutritional edema with dyspigmentation of skin and hair
Notes
Also from chapter/block level (1 note)
- All neoplasms, whether functionally active or not, are classified in Chapter 2. Appropriate codes in this chapter (i.e. E05.8, E07.0, E16-E31, E34.-) may be used as additional codes to indicate either functional activity by neoplasms and ectopic endocrine tissue or hyperfunction and hypofunction of endocrine glands associated with neoplasms and other conditions classified elsewhere.
Alphabetic Index terms
Terms the official Alphabetic Index lists for this code. 12 entries
- Edema, edematous (infectious) (pitting) (toxic), nutritional, with dyspigmentation, skin and hair
- Kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition, degree, severe (protein-energy), with, kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition, malignant
- Malnutrition, protein, calorie, severe, with, kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition, protein, energy, severe, with, kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition, severe (protein-energy), with, kwashiorkor
- Pluricarential syndrome of infancy
- Polycarential syndrome of infancy
- Syndrome, pluricarential of infancy
- Syndrome, plurideficiency
- Syndrome, polycarential of infancy