Quick Answer
The ICD-10-CM code for HIV disease is B20. In the US clinical modification, B20 covers human immunodeficiency virus disease, including HIV positive status with symptoms or with an AIDS-defining condition. Code Z21 is used instead for an asymptomatic person with HIV who has never had an AIDS-defining illness.
- B20 is the ICD-10-CM code for HIV disease, per CDC coding guidance.
- Z21 means asymptomatic HIV positive status without prior AIDS-defining illness.
- HIV is a retrovirus; AIDS is the late stage defined by specific infections or cancers.
- Coding reflects the medical record, not how well treatment is working.
- HIV is not coded as a single 'HIV' code in the US clinical modification.
- Modern treatment can reach undetectable viral load, which means untransmittable.
Context Most Pages Skip
ICD-10-CM is the US version of the World Health Organization's ICD-10, maintained by CDC and CMS, and it splits HIV across more than one code because the infection changes over time. HIV itself is a retrovirus: it inserts its genetic material into the DNA of immune cells, especially CD4 T cells, and slowly depletes them if untreated. What matters for coding is not the virus's biology but the clinical picture - whether the person has symptoms, an AIDS-defining condition, or is asymptomatic. That is why two codes, B20 and Z21, exist rather than one, and why the correct code depends on what is documented in the medical record, not on a lab value alone.
Related Questions
Sources & Further Reading
- CDC — Sexually Transmitted Infections
- CDC STI Treatment Guidelines
- WHO — Sexually transmitted infections fact sheet
- MedlinePlus — Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Figures reflect CDC surveillance and WHO estimates; they are population statistics, not personal risk predictions.