ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Rhinitis Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group J31 includes chronic inflammations of the nasal passages, nasopharynx, and pharynx such as chronic rhinitis, chronic nasopharyngitis, and chronic pharyngitis that may be nonallergic or infectious in origin. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document persistent upper respiratory tract symptoms, capture disease chronicity and anatomic site, and reflect associated clinical complexity. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM J31 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

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ICD-10-CM J31: Chronic Rhinitis, Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis Overview

The diagnoses in this group represent chronic inflammatory conditions of the nasal passages, nasopharynx, and pharynx affecting the upper respiratory tract. They target mucosal inflammation and persistent symptoms such as nasal congestion, postnasal drip, throat discomfort, and chronic sore throat. Accurate coding matters for proper clinical documentation and supports appropriate reimbursement by reflecting the chronicity and site of disease.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a patient has documented chronic inflammation of the nasal passages, nasopharynx, or pharynx with persistent symptoms noted by the clinician. Select the code that best reflects the specific anatomic site and chronic nature of the condition as documented in the medical record.

ICD-10-CM Codes

3 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
J31.0	Chronic rhinitis
J31.1	Chronic nasopharyngitis
J31.2	Chronic pharyngitis

DRG Codes

5 rows

DRG Code	Description
011	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with MCC
012	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with CC
013	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy without CC/MCC
152	Otitis Media and URI with MCC
153	Otitis Media and URI without MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult patient presents to primary care with a several-month history of persistent nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and frequent throat clearing without fever or purulent discharge; symptoms are worse with environmental exposures and intermittently impair sleep and daily activities. The clinician documents chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa and nasopharynx after ruling out acute infection, leading to assignment of a chronic upper respiratory mucosal inflammation code. Typical codes: J31.0, J31.1
A child is brought to urgent care for sudden onset sore throat, nasal congestion, and mild fever lasting 48 hours; exam shows erythematous pharynx and swollen nasal turbinates but no exudates and rapid tests for strep and influenza are negative. The provider documents an acute nasopharyngitis/pharyngitis of likely viral etiology when symptoms are limited to upper airway mucosa without systemic bacterial infection, and assigns an appropriate acute upper respiratory tract inflammation code. Typical codes: J31.2
An adult with long-standing allergic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease reports recurrent throat clearing, globus sensation, and chronic sore throat despite treatment for allergies; evaluation excludes new infection and the clinician attributes persistent pharyngeal irritation to chronic nasopharyngeal inflammation as a comorbidity affecting management of the primary conditions. A chronic nasopharyngeal or pharyngeal inflammation code is assigned to capture the ongoing upper airway disease contributing to the patient’s symptoms. Typical codes: J31.1, J31.0

Related Codes

J30-VASOMOTOR-AND-ALLERGIC-RHINITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Vasomotor And Allergic Rhinitis: Group Overview

J32-CHRONIC-SINUSITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Sinusitis: Group Overview

J33-NASAL-POLYP

ICD-10-CM Code For Nasal Polyp: Group Overview

J34-OTHER-AND-UNSPECIFIED-NASAL-DISORDERS

ICD-10-CM Code For Other And Unspecified Disorders Of Nose And Nasal Sinuses: Group Overview

J35-CHRONIC-DISEASES-OF-TONSILS-AND-ADENOIDS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Diseases Of Tonsils And Adenoids: Group Overview

J36-PERITONSILLAR-ABSCESS

ICD-10-CM Code For Peritonsillar Abscess: Group Overview

J37-CHRONIC-LARYNGITIS-AND-LARYNGOTRACHEITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Laryngitis And Laryngotracheitis: Group Overview

J38-DISEASES-OF-VOCAL-CORDS-AND-LARYNX

ICD-10-CM Code For Diseases Of Vocal Cords And Larynx: Group Overview

J39-OTHER-DISEASES-OF-UPPER-RESPIRATORY-TRACT

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Diseases Of Upper Respiratory Tract: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

3 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
J31.0	Chronic rhinitis
J31.1	Chronic nasopharyngitis
J31.2	Chronic pharyngitis

DRG Codes

5 rows

DRG Code	Description
011	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with MCC
012	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with CC
013	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy without CC/MCC
152	Otitis Media and URI with MCC
153	Otitis Media and URI without MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult patient presents to primary care with a several-month history of persistent nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and frequent throat clearing without fever or purulent discharge; symptoms are worse with environmental exposures and intermittently impair sleep and daily activities. The clinician documents chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa and nasopharynx after ruling out acute infection, leading to assignment of a chronic upper respiratory mucosal inflammation code. Typical codes: J31.0, J31.1
A child is brought to urgent care for sudden onset sore throat, nasal congestion, and mild fever lasting 48 hours; exam shows erythematous pharynx and swollen nasal turbinates but no exudates and rapid tests for strep and influenza are negative. The provider documents an acute nasopharyngitis/pharyngitis of likely viral etiology when symptoms are limited to upper airway mucosa without systemic bacterial infection, and assigns an appropriate acute upper respiratory tract inflammation code. Typical codes: J31.2
An adult with long-standing allergic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease reports recurrent throat clearing, globus sensation, and chronic sore throat despite treatment for allergies; evaluation excludes new infection and the clinician attributes persistent pharyngeal irritation to chronic nasopharyngeal inflammation as a comorbidity affecting management of the primary conditions. A chronic nasopharyngeal or pharyngeal inflammation code is assigned to capture the ongoing upper airway disease contributing to the patient’s symptoms. Typical codes: J31.1, J31.0

Related Codes

J30-VASOMOTOR-AND-ALLERGIC-RHINITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Vasomotor And Allergic Rhinitis: Group Overview

J32-CHRONIC-SINUSITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Sinusitis: Group Overview

J33-NASAL-POLYP

ICD-10-CM Code For Nasal Polyp: Group Overview

J34-OTHER-AND-UNSPECIFIED-NASAL-DISORDERS

ICD-10-CM Code For Other And Unspecified Disorders Of Nose And Nasal Sinuses: Group Overview

J35-CHRONIC-DISEASES-OF-TONSILS-AND-ADENOIDS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Diseases Of Tonsils And Adenoids: Group Overview

J36-PERITONSILLAR-ABSCESS

ICD-10-CM Code For Peritonsillar Abscess: Group Overview

J37-CHRONIC-LARYNGITIS-AND-LARYNGOTRACHEITIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Laryngitis And Laryngotracheitis: Group Overview

J38-DISEASES-OF-VOCAL-CORDS-AND-LARYNX

ICD-10-CM Code For Diseases Of Vocal Cords And Larynx: Group Overview

J39-OTHER-DISEASES-OF-UPPER-RESPIRATORY-TRACT

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Diseases Of Upper Respiratory Tract: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Rhinitis Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Rhinitis Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM J31: Chronic Rhinitis, Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Rhinitis Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Rhinitis Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM J31: Chronic Rhinitis, Nasopharyngitis And Pharyngitis Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM codes are included in the J31 group?

What clinical features do the J31 group diagnoses represent?

Why is accurate coding within the `J31` group important for reimbursement?

How do the J31 codes relate to DRG assignment?

Can J31 codes distinguish between nonallergic and infectious causes?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM codes are included in the J31 group?

What clinical features do the J31 group diagnoses represent?

Why is accurate coding within the `J31` group important for reimbursement?

How do the J31 codes relate to DRG assignment?

Can J31 codes distinguish between nonallergic and infectious causes?

References