Iron deficiency anemia secondary to inadequate dietary iron intake

This code signifies a type of anemia caused by insufficient iron in the body, specifically due to a diet lacking adequate iron. It indicates that the patient's red blood cells are unable to carry enough oxygen because there isn't enough iron available for hemoglobin production, with the root cause being dietary.

Use this code when documentation clearly states iron deficiency anemia and explicitly links it to inadequate dietary iron intake. This diagnosis is often supported by laboratory findings of low ferritin, low serum iron, high total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and microcytic hypochromic red blood cells, in conjunction with a dietary history.

• Ensure the documentation specifies "inadequate dietary iron intake" as the cause; otherwise, a more general iron deficiency anemia code may be appropriate.
• Do not use this code if the iron deficiency is due to malabsorption, chronic blood loss, or other non-dietary causes.
• Consider sequencing this code as a primary diagnosis if it is the main reason for the encounter, or as a secondary diagnosis if it is a co-morbidity being managed.