F50.83
BillablePica in adults
HCC Category Mapping
RxHCCHCC 133 — Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Other Specified Mental Disorders
0.000What This Code Means
Pica in adults is a condition where an adult persistently eats non-food items such as dirt, chalk, ice, or other substances that have no nutritional value.
Coding Tips
- •Document the specific non-food substance being consumed when possible, as this may be relevant for clinical management
- •Distinguish from pica in children (F98.3); this code is specifically for adults aged 18 and older
Clinical Significance
Pica in adults involves the persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances (clay, dirt, paper, ice, hair, etc.) over a period of at least one month. In adults, it may be associated with intellectual disability, pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia, or psychiatric conditions. Complications include intestinal obstruction, parasitic infections, lead poisoning, and dental damage.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Documentation of persistent ingestion of nonnutritive, nonfood substances for at least one month
- ✓Specification of the substance being ingested
- ✓Evidence that the behavior is not culturally sanctioned or normative for the developmental stage
- ✓Assessment for associated conditions (iron deficiency, intellectual disability, pregnancy, psychiatric disorders)
- ✓Medical evaluation for complications (intestinal obstruction, toxicity, dental damage)
Excludes 1 — Do NOT code together
- pica in infancy and childhood (F98.3)
Commonly Confused Codes
F98.3 (Pica of infancy and childhood) — use for pica in patients under the age of adulthood, not F50.83F50.89 (Other specified eating disorder) — use for eating behaviors that do not fit established categoriesD50.9 (Iron deficiency anemia, unspecified) — pica may be caused by iron deficiency; code both when applicableF50.84 (Rumination disorder in adults) — rumination involves regurgitation/re-chewing of food, not eating nonfood substancesF70-F79 (Intellectual disability codes) — pica may occur in context of intellectual disability; code both