A38.1

What This Code Means

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by streptococcus that produces a characteristic red rash, and in this case, the infection has also affected the heart muscle (myocarditis), causing inflammation. This is a serious complication of scarlet fever that requires prompt treatment.

Coding Tips

• •Always verify that myocarditis is documented in the medical record before assigning this code; do not assume cardiac involvement without explicit documentation
• •This code includes both the scarlet fever diagnosis and the myocarditis complication, so do not separately code myocarditis with an additional code unless it is from a different etiology