E78.1

Billable

Pure hyperglyceridemia

HCC Category Mapping

RxHCCHCC 47 — Disorders of Fatty-Acid and Lipid Metabolism

0.000

What This Code Means

Elevated triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood without significantly elevated cholesterol, which can increase heart disease risk.

Coding Tips

•Document triglyceride levels and whether this is primary or secondary to other conditions
•Distinguish from mixed hyperlipidemia where both cholesterol and triglycerides are elevated

Clinical Significance

Pure hyperglyceridemia (hypertriglyceridemia) involves elevated triglyceride levels without significant cholesterol elevation. While moderate elevations increase cardiovascular risk, severely elevated triglycerides (above 500 mg/dL) carry a significant risk of acute pancreatitis, requiring urgent management and close monitoring.

Documentation Requirements

✓Provider diagnosis of hypertriglyceridemia or pure hyperglyceridemia
✓Current triglyceride level from lipid panel
✓Severity classification: mild (150-199), moderate (200-499), severe (500-999), very severe (1000+) mg/dL
✓Underlying etiology if known (familial, secondary to diabetes, obesity, medications, alcohol)
✓Treatment plan: fibrates, omega-3 fatty acids, lifestyle modifications, or combination therapy
✓Assessment for pancreatitis risk if triglycerides are severely elevated

Commonly Confused Codes

E78.2 — Mixed hyperlipidemia: use when BOTH triglycerides AND cholesterol are elevated E78.3 — Hyperchylomicronemia: specific condition with chylomicron persistence, often with very high triglycerides E78.00 — Pure hypercholesterolemia, unspecified: elevated cholesterol only, not triglycerides E78.5 — Hyperlipidemia, unspecified: too broad when the specific lipid type is documented E78.49 — Other hyperlipidemia: for lipid elevations not classified elsewhere

Code Hierarchy

└E78Disorders of lipoprotein metabolism and other lipidemias └E78.1Pure hyperglyceridemia

└E78.1Pure hyperglyceridemia