A15.5

What This Code Means

This is a tuberculosis infection that affects the voice box (larynx), windpipe (trachea), and/or the airways leading to the lungs (bronchus). It is a serious respiratory condition caused by the tuberculosis bacteria spreading to these upper and lower airway structures.

Coding Tips

• •Verify documentation specifies the exact site of TB involvement (larynx, trachea, or bronchus) as this code represents all three locations; if only one site is documented, ensure this is the most specific code available
• •This code should be used in conjunction with a code from category A15.0-A15.9 to indicate pulmonary TB involvement, and confirm the patient has active TB disease rather than latent TB infection