E50 — Vitamin A deficiency
Is E50 billable?
No — E50 is a non-billable header code. E50 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 10 billable codes beneath E50.
Billable codes under this header
- E50.0Vitamin A deficiency with conjunctival xerosis
- E50.1Vitamin A deficiency with Bitot's spot and conjunctival xerosis
- E50.2Vitamin A deficiency with corneal xerosis
- E50.3Vitamin A deficiency with corneal ulceration and xerosis
- E50.4Vitamin A deficiency with keratomalacia
- E50.5Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness
- E50.6Vitamin A deficiency with xerophthalmic scars of cornea
- E50.7Other ocular manifestations of vitamin A deficiency
- E50.8Other manifestations of vitamin A deficiency
- E50.9Vitamin A deficiency, unspecified
E50 at a glance
| Code | E50 |
|---|---|
| Description | Vitamin A deficiency |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with E50 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- sequelae of vitamin A deficiency (E64.1)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Chapter 4
The conditions below can never be reported together with E50 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- transitory endocrine and metabolic disorders specific to newborn (P70-P74)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from E50-E64
The conditions below are not part of E50, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, E50 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- nutritional anemias (D50-D53)
What codes fall under E50? (10)
- E50.0Vitamin A deficiency with conjunctival xerosis
- E50.1Vitamin A deficiency with Bitot's spot and conjunctival xerosis
- E50.2Vitamin A deficiency with corneal xerosis
- E50.3Vitamin A deficiency with corneal ulceration and xerosis
- E50.4Vitamin A deficiency with keratomalacia
- E50.5Vitamin A deficiency with night blindness
- E50.6Vitamin A deficiency with xerophthalmic scars of cornea
- E50.7Other ocular manifestations of vitamin A deficiency
- E50.8Other manifestations of vitamin A deficiency
- E50.9Vitamin A deficiency, unspecified
How long has E50 existed?
E50 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with E50?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with E50 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.