A52.16

What This Code Means

This is a type of joint damage that occurs in patients with untreated syphilis (specifically neurosyphilis), where the infection damages nerves that normally sense pain and position, leading to progressive joint destruction. The affected joints become severely damaged because the patient cannot feel pain to protect them from repeated injury.

Coding Tips

• •This code requires documentation of both the Charcot's arthropathy AND confirmation of tabetic (neurosyphilis) origin; verify the syphilis diagnosis is documented in the medical record
• •When coding this condition, you may need to also code the underlying syphilis diagnosis (typically A52.16 is used with a primary syphilis code from the A50-A53 range) and specify which joint(s) are affected if that information is available