Pediatric Coding Alert

Question: What diagnosis code applies to "emetophobia," the fear of vomiting?

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Answer: ICD-9 currently does not have a code specifically for emetophobia, so your best option is 300.29 (Other isolated or  specific phobias). Fortunately, we'll have more specific codes for each diagnosis when we implement ICD-10 in 2013. Although many patients (or parents) might not have heard of emetophobia, the condition is one of top ten most common phobias in the United States. Scientists haven't discovered a specific trigger for emetophobia, but the condition usually develops in childhood (ages 6 to 10) or early adolescence.