Caused by a butterfly-shaped thyroid gland in your lower neck, Graves’ Disease is known to affect around 3% of US citizens. In this condition, the thyroid makes more thyroid hormones, which leads to a faster metabolism. Graves’ Disease is more likely to occur in women than men.
Graves’ disease, also known as autoimmune hyperthyroidism or toxic diffuse goiter, is a chronic ailment that directly affects the person’s thyroid gland. As a result, the patients start experiencing excessive production of the thyroid hormone. The human body starts making antibodies to the thyroid gland. Too much thyroid production leads to heart diseases, bone problems, deteriorating mental health, fertility, and sleep issues.
What is the ICD-10 code for Graves’ Disease?
According to AAPC, the ICD-10 Code for Graves’ Disease, unspecified, is E05.90. In endocrinology, this code refers to thyrotoxicosis, unspecified, without thyrotoxic crisis or storm. Characterized by an overactive thyroid gland, the Graves’ Ailment is known to be a type of hyperthyroidism.
It is crucial to know that when healthcare providers deal with Graves’ Disease specified with a diffuse goiter, i.e., enlarged or oversized goiter, the code to be appended in the documentation and claims for reimbursement is E05.00. However, when it refers to diffuse goiter and thyrotoxic crisis or storm, then the precise code to be used is E05.01.
Commonly used ICD-10 codes for Graves’ Disease
The medical classification encompasses the use of ICD-10-CM codes for Graves’ Disease to accurately specify the diagnosis. Some of the most commonly appended codes for autoimmune hyperthyroidism in the tenth chapter of the International Classification of Diseases are as follows.
E05.0: Specifies Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter. It is a non-billable code and belongs to the Chapter 4 of ICD-10-CM: Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases. E05.0 isn’t used specifically for reimbursements purposes in the presence of more specific ICD-10 codes that signify precise details.
E05.01: A billable code that represents Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter and thyrotoxic crisis or storm. Apart from being used for diagnosis, this specific diagnostic code is used in insurance claims for reimbursement purposes.
E05.00: Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter without thyrotoxic crisis or storm. It is a billable/specific code included in Chapter 4 of ICD-10-CM: Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases. It is used by healthcare providers to indicate diagnosis purposes and to claim reimbursement.
Causes and Symptoms of Graves’ Disease
Here’s some medical information regarding the Graves’ Disease. After going through this section, you’ll have more information regarding how it is caused and what symptoms will show in a patient suffering from overactive thyroid.
Causes of Graves’ Disease
People start suffering from Graves’ Disease when their immune system starts producing more than the required antibodies, known as thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI). Thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin, when it bonds with healthy thyroid cells, causes the thyroid to produce excessive hormones.
Research tells us that a person’s genes are responsible for 80% of the risk of developing this serious ailment. Simply saying, that Graves’ Disease is inherited to a limited extent. The remaining 20% is caused due to the environmental factors.
Till now, we don’t have trustworthy research behind why the human’s immune system triggers the thyroid forcing it to produce more thyroid hormone. However, most researchers have come to a collective consensus that the immune system attacks the thyroid due to environmental factors, i.e.,
- Stress
- Pregnancy and postpartum period
- Viruses and infections
Symptoms of Graves’ Disease
Graves’ Disease, if not handled properly or delayed a physician’s checkup can result in some serious consequences. The symptoms of this ailment are quite obvious. A physical checkup allows the specialists to diagnose and treat these symptoms to ensure they don’t affect the patient in the long run.
People suffering from Graves’ Disease suffer from conditions like eye irritation or bulging, heartbeat issues, and many others, which may lead to a goiter, i.e., enlarged thyroid.
Here’s a detailed list of the symptoms of Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism are:
- Nervousness and Anxiety
- Intolerance to heat and sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Bulging Eyes
- Double Vision
- Light Sensitivity
- Thin, warn and moist skin
- Fewer or absent periods
- Tremors
- Continuous Weight Loss
- Rapid Heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Sleep Disturbances
- Increased Bowel Movements
- Hair Loss
- Enlarged Thyroid(Goiter)
Helpful Facts And Figures Regarding Graves’ Disease
Symptoms of Graves’ Disease usually take time to appear. The time can span across several weeks to even months for symptoms to become visible. However, some symptoms start showing within a few days. People may start complaining about some or many symptoms at the same time.
Symptoms related to eyes that affect the vision or cause pressure and pain in the eyes are called orbitopathy, also known as thyroid eye disease. Every 1 in 3 people suffering from Graves’ Disease develop this specific ailment, affecting their eyes and vision.
Around 4% of the patients suffering from Graves’ Disease are affected by pretibial myxedema – Graves’ dermopathy. One serious indicator of Graves’ Disease in these people is lumpy or thickening skin that appears discolored. This skin condition is mostly visible on the legs.
Moreover, the fewest number of cases reported show people affected by thyroid acropachy. Their percentage is around 1%, and the obvious symptom that troubles them is clubbing of fingers and toes. It is a physical deformity where the tips of the fingers and toes become enlarged, and the nails curve downward, resembling a club.
This autoimmune disease affects your immune system, and as a result, it attacks healthy tissue. Interestingly, most autoimmune issues, including Graves’ Disease, are likely to affect women 7-8 more as compared to men. The reasons for this are still not clear.
People troubled by Graves’ Disease are at an increased risk of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). To give you a more specific idea, around 50% of the people with Graves’ Disease experience some sort of eye trouble. According to Dr. Trevor Angell, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Thyroid Center at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, most patients show mild symptoms, but 10% face serious issues that need expert supervision.
Synonyms of Graves’ Disease
- Graves-Basedow Disease
- Exophthalmic Goiter
- Hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ Disease
- Parry Disease
- Basedow’s Disease
Clinical Information regarding Graves’ Disease
Let’s take a brief look at the clinical information regarding hyperthyroidism or toxic diffuse goiter.
- There could be various reasons behind hyperthyroidism. The most obvious one is Graves’ Disease, as it is an autoimmune disorder. Here, the body’s own immune system ignites the thyroid gland, resulting in the overproduction of thyroxine.
- The overproduction of thyroxine speeds up the metabolic rate, which leads to abnormal heartbeat rate, weight loss, and nervousness or anxiety.
- There are various symptoms of this ailment. They range from rapid heartbeat to double vision and fatigue to irregular periods, hair loss, and eye pain.
- Doctors choose specific treatment methods to counter this disease and symptoms. It includes advising certain medications and radioactive iodine, and the treatment may also be done with surgery (in rare cases).
Valuable Information About Graves’ Disease People Want to Know
What Triggers Graves’ Disease?
Represented by E05.0 in the ICD-10 coding system, the precise reason behind Graves’ disease is still not found. However, some studies suggest that it is a combination of environmental and genetic factors. It can be stimulated by simple actions or reasons like smoking, stress, radiation of the neck, medications, and even viral infections.
Is Graves’ Disease a Life-Threatening Disorder?
Although it doesn’t threaten a patient’s life directly, it can definitely cause cardiac issues, weaken the bones, cause severe thyrotoxicosis known as thyroid storm and may even result in pregnancy complications in women. If left untreated, it can become a life-threatening ailment. If diagnosed and treated on time, it can save lives and improve the lives of many people suffering from Graves’ Disease.
Can Graves’ Disease Be Treated On Its Own?
People suffering from Graves’ Disease or those who start experiencing symptoms often think that this ailment will go away after some time. Most patients don’t give much attention and think of it as a normal disorder. However, it doesn’t go away on its own and requires physician assistance.
Most patients suffering at the hands of this disease require expert examination and treatment to manage the symptoms and tackle the overactive thyroid gland. Most importantly, only licensed and experienced endocrinologists can understand the complexity of the disease.
ICD-10 Coding and Billing for Graves’ Disease
When it comes to medical billing and coding for Graves’ Disease, even the most experienced and skillful medical billing specialists face difficulties. Sometimes dealing with ICD-10 codes for Graves’ Disease feels like an aggravating maze. So, as a healthcare provider if you’re taking time out of your busy schedule to document, charge capture, coding, and insurance claim submission, you’re compromising on patient health by diverting your attention to hectic administrative tasks.
Moreover, if you’ve hired an inexperienced medical billing company to deal with Endocrinology billing, especially Graves’ Disease claims and coding, you’re losing out on money. Not only will your valuable revenue slip through the cracks, but you’ll also have to deal with many errors, a rising denial rate, high Account Receivables, and credibility issues. So, if you’re in search of a highly reliable and leading medical billing services provider in the US, collaborate with I-Med Claims.
We have some of the finest medical billing experts going around who’ll ensure a smooth and seamless revenue cycle for your practice. By mitigating errors and integrating automated and modern working processes, we’ll optimize every step of your Graves’ Disease billing cycle. We promise maximized revenue and minimized leaks and errors through our cutting-edge medical billing processes designed for the financial stability of your practice.
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