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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Questions:

Count Diaphoresis as Integumentary

Published on Sat Sep 03, 2005

Question: When breaking down the ROS elements, in what system should we categorize diaphoresis - endocrine or integumentary?


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Answer: Most often, diaphoresis represents an integumentary function in the doctor's review of systems - but make sure to check the clinical context.

Diaphoresis can be problematic to place because it's not specific to any particular diagnosis. Patients with conditions such as myocardial infarctions, severe abdominal pain, hypoglycemia, or fainting may all experience diaphoresis. The common thread: the sweat glands in the skin, which is anatomically an integumentary function. Reader Questions and You Be The Coder reviewed by Michael A. Granovsky, MD, CPC, FACEP, vice president of MRSI in Stoneham, Mass.
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