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Compare/A39.1 vs E35

A39.1 vs E35

A39.1 (Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome) compared with E35 (Disorders of endocrine glands in diseases classified elsewhere), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. E35 carries an Excludes1 note covering A39.1: “meningococcal hemorrhagic adrenalitis (A39.1)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

No — do not report together. E35 carries an Excludes1 note covering A39.1: “Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome (A39.1)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

A39.1Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndromeE35Disorders of endocrine glands in diseases classified elsewhere
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationA00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)E00-E89 — Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89)
DefinitionWaterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (A39.1).Disorders of endocrine glands in diseases classified elsewhere is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (E35).
Includes
Meningococcal hemorrhagic adrenalitis
Meningococcic adrenal syndrome
Code first
underlying disease, such as:
late congenital syphilis of thymus gland [Dubois disease] (A50.59)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources