ICD 10 Code For Peripheral Vascular Disease

Peripheral vascular disease is one of the most underestimated medical conditions mostly because the symptoms are not so pronounced. The ICD 10 Code for Peripheral Vascular Disease will help you diagnose and treat the condition.

The ICD 10 Code for Peripheral Vascular Disease is I73.9. This is the American version of the code and it is important that you know this because there are other international versions of the code.

Enough being said, there’s a lot to discuss the condition of Peripheral Vascular Disease. the rest of this post will provide you with this information.

What is Peripheral Vascular Disease?

Peripheral Vascular Disorder is a disorder related to blood circulation. It results in the narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels just outside the brain and heart, sometimes it causes them to spasm. It could affect the veins or arteries alike. The condition also referred to as PVD, could result in fatigue and pain mostly in the legs during exercise routines. You should be relieved of this pain or fatigue with rest.

PVD could also inhibit the vessels in charge of distribution of oxygen and blood to the following parts of the body:

1. Stomach and intestines.

The blood vessels narrow leading to poor distribution of blood. This can be caused by the hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) or spasms of the blood vessels. Plaques accumulate within the blood vessels when a person experiences arteriosclerosis.

The artery may end up being blocked as clots develop due to a progression of the plaque. If the situation is salvaged early, the organs could be lost completely. Peripheral Vascular Disease is also known by the following names:

1. Arteriosclerosis obliterans.
2. Intermittent claudication.
3. Arterial insufficiency is experienced in the legs.

Types of Peripheral Vascular Disease

PVD could either be functional or organic. When it is functional, the blood vessels do not experience any form of physical damage. What happens is that the blood vessels move between narrowing and widening based on several factors. These factors could range from temperature changes to brain signals. This results in a decrease in blood flow.

When the blood vessels change in structure it is known as Organic PVD. The changes could be plaques, tissue damage, or inflammation.

Causes of Peripheral Vascular Disease

We have already established the fact that there are two types of PVD. The causes of PVD depend on the type of PVD that you may experience

Functional PVD

Naturally, your blood vessels alternate between widening and narrowing as a way of responding to environmental factors. However, when you experience functional PVD, the response by the vessels is exaggerated. A classic example of functional PVD is Raynaud’s disease where blood flow is affected by temperature and stress. These are the popular causes of functional peripheral vascular disease:

1. Cold temperatures.
3. Emotional stress.
4. Operation of vibratory tools or machinery.

Organic PVD

This simply means there is an alteration in the structure of the blood vessels. A typical example is the narrowing of the blood vessels as a result of arteriosclerosis which causes the accumulation of plaque. The most recognized causes of organic PVD are:

1. High blood pressure.
2. High cholesterol.

There are several other causes of organic PVD including abnormally structured ligaments and muscles, infections, extreme injuries, and inflammation of the blood vessels.

Peripheral Vascular Disease risk factors

Just like every other disease, there are certain factors that put you at risk of PVD. They are numerous and it is important that you have information about them so you can keep yourself safe.

You are at risk of Peripheral Vascular Disease when:

1. You are overweight.
2. 50 years old or over.
3. Your cholesterol levels are abnormal.
4. You have heart disease.
5. Suffering from high blood pressure.
6. You have diabetes.
7. You have a history of stroke or cerebrovascular disease.
8. Suffering from hemodialysis or kidney disease.
9. Your family has a history of PVD, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

Certain lifestyle choices would definitely put you at a higher risk of developing peripheral vascular disease:

1. Drug use.
2. Poor eating habits.
3. Not participating in physical exercise.

Symptoms of Peripheral Vascular Disease

In most patients of PVD, the symptoms develop quite slowly and they are quite irregular. The most common symptoms are cramps and fatigue in the feet and legs. These usually become worse with physical activity resulting from decreased blood flow.

Other symptoms of PVD include:

Most times, people overlook these symptoms and label them as aging symptoms. When you leave them for a long time, they could result in further damage. This is why you should reach out to your doctor when you notice them.

Claudication is the most common symptom of PVD. It is the pain in the muscle of the lower limb while walking. And is mostly experienced when you are walking briskly or walking a very long distance. It is a result of a decrease in blood to that particular area. The pain reduces with rest but it may stay longer when it reoccurs.

Treatment of PVD

The treatments are aimed at preventing progress in the disease and keeping you active by managing the symptoms and pain. By extension, the treatment will reduce the risk of more serious complications. The first step of treatment involves modifying lifestyle based on the doctor’s recommendations.

The modifications could include walking some distances, weight loss, eating a balanced diet, quitting and smoking. If these do not suffice, you may take medications. Some of the primary PVD medications include:

1. Daily aspirin or clopidogrel which reduces blood clotting.
2. Diabetes medication, required to control blood sugar.
3. Pentoxifylline or cilostazol which helps to increase blood flow.
4. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors to reduce high blood pressure.
5. Simvastatin or atorvastatin to reduce high cholesterol levels.

You may require vascular surgery when there is artery blockage. The procedure employs vein grafting to allow blood to sidestep the narrow area.

Preventing Peripheral Vascular Disease

A healthy lifestyle is key to preventing PVD. These are the common steps to take:

1. Control your blood sugar.
2. Maintaining a healthy weight.
3. Avoid smoking.
4. Eating a healthy diet.
5. Reducing cholesterol levels.

ICD 10 Code for Peripheral Vascular Disease – Wrap Up

It is important that you constantly check for the symptoms of PVD because it could end up causing you a lot of harm. The ICD 10 Code for Peripheral Vascular Disease will help you figure this out easily. The ICD 10 code for peripheral vascular disease may be reviewed in the nearest future but rest assured that we will bring you the new code once its out.