Essential (primary) hypertension

This code represents the diagnosis of high blood pressure that is not caused by an underlying secondary condition. It is a chronic medical condition where the force of the blood against the artery walls is consistently too high, leading to potential cardiovascular complications.

Use this code when documentation clearly states a diagnosis of essential, primary, benign, malignant, or systemic hypertension without an identified secondary cause. This diagnosis is typically made after ruling out other conditions that could elevate blood pressure.

• Do not code this with hypertension specifically affecting the brain (I60-I69) or eye (H35.0-).
• Avoid using this code if hypertension is a complication of pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium (O10-O11, O13-O16).
• Ensure the provider's documentation specifies "essential" or "primary" hypertension, or one of its synonyms, to support this code.