ICD10
ICD-10 Code B18: Chronic viral hepatitis
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 chronic viral hepatitis. The most accurate code depends on whether the chronic infection is hepatitis B with delta-agent, hepatitis B without delta-agent, hepatitis C, other chronic viral hepatitis, or unspecified chronic viral hepatitis.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents chronic viral hepatitis 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
- Primary-care, gastroenterology, hepatology, infectious-disease, and follow-up documentation where chronic hepatitis monitoring, antiviral treatment planning, or liver-disease staging is part of the active assessment.
- Coding and utilization-review workflows where the chart identifies hepatitis type or delta-agent status and that detail changes final chronic-hepatitis code specificity.
Common management context
- Evaluation often includes liver-enzyme review, hepatitis-serology or viral-load context, fibrosis or cirrhosis assessment, antiviral-treatment planning, and surveillance follow-up.
- Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies hepatitis B versus hepatitis C, delta-agent status, or another named chronic viral-hepatitis pattern.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Infectious Disease Specialist, General Physician, Gastroenterologist.
🔍Key distinctions
Important notes
- This ICD-10 family captures chronic viral hepatitis across hepatitis-type patterns rather than acute viral hepatitis or unspecified nonchronic hepatitis alone.
- Hepatitis type and delta-agent detail are what drive final code specificity inside this chronic viral-hepatitis family.
- This parent page groups chronic viral hepatitis patterns, so the final billable code usually depends on whether the chronic infection is hepatitis B with delta-agent, hepatitis B without delta-agent, hepatitis C, other chronic viral hepatitis, or unspecified chronic viral hepatitis.
- Documentation that describes chronic viral hepatitis is coded differently depending on the documented hepatitis type and whether more specific chronic hepatitis B, C, or delta-agent detail is present.
Related codes to consider
B18.0Chronic viral hepatitis B with delta-agent
Related chronic-viral-hepatitis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies hepatitis B versus hepatitis C, delta-agent status, or another specified chronic hepatitis pattern.
B18.1Chronic viral hepatitis B without delta-agent
Related chronic-viral-hepatitis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies hepatitis B versus hepatitis C, delta-agent status, or another specified chronic hepatitis pattern.
B18.2Chronic viral hepatitis C
Related chronic-viral-hepatitis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies hepatitis B versus hepatitis C, delta-agent status, or another specified chronic hepatitis pattern.
B18.8Other chronic viral hepatitis
Related chronic-viral-hepatitis ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies hepatitis B versus hepatitis C, delta-agent status, or another specified chronic hepatitis pattern.
Code hierarchy
chapter
1Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
block
B15-B19Viral hepatitis
currentB15-B19
Official coding notes
Includes
- Carrier of viral hepatitis
Applicable to
- code, if applicable, for ascites (R18.8)
Use additional code
- code, if applicable, for ascites (R18.8)
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 PhysicianGastroenterologist
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
B18
Replacement codes
B18.0 — Chronic viral hepatitis B with delta-agentB18.1 — Chronic viral hepatitis B without delta-agentB18.2 — Chronic viral hepatitis CB18.8 — Other chronic viral hepatitisB18.9 — Chronic viral hepatitis, unspecified
Common synonyms
Chronic viral hepatitis
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.