ICD10
ICD-10 Code A15: Respiratory tuberculosis
Reviewed by HealthAssure Clinical TeamUpdated 21 May 2026
What is this code?
ICD-10 entries help standardize how diagnoses are organized for coding, reporting, analytics, and documentation. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).
đź“‹Clinical overview
This ICD-10 code is commonly used when documentation describes respiratory tuberculosis. The most accurate code depends on whether the chart identifies lung, intrathoracic lymph-node, laryngeal, tracheobronchial, pleural, primary respiratory, or another respiratory tuberculosis site.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents respiratory tuberculosis in a patient's medical record.
- May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
- This code may act more like a grouping or parent code, so a more specific child code may be used in final documentation when available.
What it does not mean
- A code alone does not explain severity, treatment plan, or outcome.
- A medical code should not be treated as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or advice.
- This entry may represent a broader category rather than the most specific billable code.
đź©şClinical context
When commonly used
- Infectious-disease, pulmonary, inpatient, public-health, and follow-up documentation where active tuberculosis involves the lungs or another respiratory structure.
- Coding and utilization-review workflows where the chart clearly identifies the affected respiratory site and that site changes final tuberculosis code specificity.
Common workup
- Common related testing on this page includes Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear, Mycobacterium tuberculosis PCR.
Common management context
- Respiratory-tuberculosis follow-up often includes microbiology and imaging review, isolation or transmission-precaution context, symptom monitoring, and infectious-disease or pulmonary treatment planning.
- Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies lung versus pleural versus airway versus intrathoracic-lymph-node involvement, or clarifies another respiratory-site pattern.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Infectious Disease Specialist, General Physician, Pulmonologist.
🔍Key distinctions
Important notes
- This ICD-10 family covers respiratory tuberculosis and is distinct from extrapulmonary tuberculosis branches because the involved respiratory site drives code selection.
- Specific respiratory-site detail matters here, because lung, pleura, intrathoracic lymph nodes, larynx, trachea, bronchus, and other respiratory structures are coded separately when documented.
- This parent page groups respiratory tuberculosis patterns, so the final billable code usually depends on whether the chart identifies lung, intrathoracic lymph-node, laryngeal, tracheobronchial, pleural, primary respiratory, or another respiratory tuberculosis site.
- Documentation that describes respiratory tuberculosis is coded differently from extrapulmonary tuberculosis because the affected respiratory site drives final code selection.
Related codes to consider
A15.0Tuberculosis of lung
Related respiratory-tuberculosis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the affected respiratory site or names a more precise anatomic location.
A15.4Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes
Related respiratory-tuberculosis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the affected respiratory site or names a more precise anatomic location.
A15.5Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchus
Related respiratory-tuberculosis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the affected respiratory site or names a more precise anatomic location.
A15.6Tuberculous pleurisy
Related respiratory-tuberculosis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the affected respiratory site or names a more precise anatomic location.
Code hierarchy
chapter
1Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
block
A15-A19Tuberculosis
currentA15-A19
Where you may see this code
You may see this entry in coding references, medical records, or claims workflows when a broader diagnosis category is being reviewed before a more specific code is chosen.
Related specialists
Infectious Disease SpecialistGeneral PhysicianPulmonologist
Related tests
Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear
Commonly considered in pulmonary tuberculosis workup.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis PCR
May help identify tuberculosis DNA in appropriate clinical settings.
Related codes
Sibling codes
Coding guidelines
Compatibility
Legacy code aligns to an official FY 2026 category. Frontend should resolve to the official category page and surface the billable child codes.
Legacy codes
A15
Replacement codes
A15.0 — Tuberculosis of lungA15.4 — Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodesA15.5 — Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchusA15.6 — Tuberculous pleurisyA15.7 — Primary respiratory tuberculosisA15.8 — Other respiratory tuberculosisA15.9 — Respiratory tuberculosis unspecified
Common synonyms
Respiratory tuberculosis
Frequently asked questions
About this content
This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from ICD-10. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.