Sickle-cell/Hb-C disease with crisis, unspecified

This diagnosis code signifies a specific type of sickle cell disease, where an individual inherits one sickle hemoglobin gene and one hemoglobin C gene, complicated by an acute painful episode or other acute manifestation of the disease. This crisis state is a common and severe complication of sickle cell disease, often requiring immediate medical attention.

Apply this code when documentation explicitly states a diagnosis of sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease and describes an active crisis, such as a vaso-occlusive crisis, acute chest syndrome, or splenic sequestration crisis. The "unspecified" nature indicates that the specific type of crisis is not documented.

• Ensure documentation clearly differentiates between sickle cell-Hb C disease and other sickle cell variants.
• Do not use this code if the patient has sickle cell-Hb C disease but is not experiencing a crisis.
• If the specific type of crisis (e.g., vaso-occlusive, splenic sequestration) is documented, a more specific code should be used.