Skip to main content

E53.0 vs L02

E53.0 (Riboflavin deficiency) compared with L02 (Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because L02 lists E53.0 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named, billing status and chapter.E53.0 is “Riboflavin deficiency”; L02 is “Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle”. L02 is a non-billable header; E53.0 is billable. E53.0 sits in E00-E89 — Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89); L02 in L00-L99 — Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (L00-L99).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.L02 lists E53.0 under Excludes2: “Perlèche due to riboflavin deficiency (E53.0)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. E53.0 carries 1 Excludes1 note covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.L02’s tabular entry: “Perlèche due to riboflavin deficiency (E53.0)”. The note covers E53.0.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.L02 is a non-billable header, but E53.0 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

L02
Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle
↔
E53.0
Riboflavin deficiency

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.L02 carries an Excludes2 note covering E53.0: “Perlèche due to riboflavin deficiency (E53.0)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
E53.0

Riboflavin deficiency

L02

Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle

StatusDiffers
E53.0
Billable
L02
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: L02.01, L02.02, L02.03, L02.11, L02.12

Excludes1Differs
E53.0
  • sequelae of vitamin B deficiency (E64.8)
L02

None at this code

Excludes2Differs
E53.0
  • nutritional anemias (D50-D53)
L02
  • abscess of anus and rectal regions (K61.-)
  • abscess of female genital organs (external) (N76.4)
  • abscess of male genital organs (external) (N48.2, N49.-)
  • hordeolum (H00.0)
  • infective dermatitis (L30.3)
  • local infections of skin classified in Chapter 1
  • lupus panniculitis (L93.2)
  • panniculitis NOS (M79.3)
  • panniculitis of neck and back (M54.0-)
  • Perlèche NOS (K13.0)
  • Perlèche due to candidiasis (B37.0)
  • Perlèche due to riboflavin deficiency (E53.0)
  • pyogenic granuloma (L98.0)
  • relapsing panniculitis [Weber-Christian] (M35.6)
  • viral warts (B07.-)
  • zoster (B02.-)
Use additional codeDiffers
E53.0

None at this code

L02
  • code to identify organism (B95-B96)
  • code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent.
CategoryDiffers
E53.0

E53 Deficiency of other B group vitamins

L02

Is itself a category

ChapterDiffers
E53.0

E00-E89 — Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89)

L02

L00-L99 — Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (L00-L99)

IncludesDiffers
E53.0
  • Ariboflavinosis
  • Vitamin B2 deficiency
L02

None at this code

No Code first, Code also and 7th character note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, notes every code shares are dimmed.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources