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J04.0 vs J05.0

J04.0 (Acute laryngitis) compared with J05.0 (Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup]), 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. J04.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering J05.0: “acute obstructive laryngitis (J05.0)”

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. J04.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering J05.0: “acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis (J05.-)”

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

J04.0Acute laryngitisJ05.0Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup]
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionAcute laryngitis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J04.0).Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J05.0).
Includes
Edematous laryngitis (acute)
Laryngitis (acute) NOS
Subglottic laryngitis (acute)
Suppurative laryngitis (acute)
Obstructive laryngitis (acute) NOS
Obstructive laryngotracheitis NOS
Use additional code
code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent.
code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent.

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