K74.6 Other and unspecified cirrhosis of liver

ICD-10-CM Code K74.6: Other and Unspecified Cirrhosis of Liver

ICD-10-CM code K74.6 identifies other and unspecified cirrhosis of the liver, a condition where extensive scarring impairs the organ's ability to process nutrients and heal. This diagnostic concept encompasses several specific pathological types of liver scarring, including cryptogenic and portal cirrhosis. Clinical sources establish that cirrhosis involves fibrous septa and nodules, representing an advanced stage of liver disease. 3 5 1

Plain-language overview

The liver processes nutrients from food and can sometimes heal itself after damage, but extensive scarring may prevent this self-repair and cause a gradual loss of organ function. 5

What this code represents

Code K74.6 represents other and unspecified cirrhosis of the liver, explicitly including NOS, cryptogenic, macronodular, micronodular, mixed type, portal, and postnecrotic variations. 3

Coding details

The K74.6 code falls under the digestive system diseases chapter, specifically within the K70-K77 liver diseases block, and K74 serves as a billable and specific ICD-10-CM code. 4 6

While K74.6 designates other and unspecified cirrhosis, a more granular unspecified code, K74.60, exists to specify unspecified cirrhosis of the liver for billing purposes. 6

Clinical context

Cirrhosis is characterized by bands of fibrous septa leading to the formation of cirrhosis nodules, which can obscure earlier features of conditions like nonalcoholic steatohepatitis during a liver biopsy. 1

Clinical management of cirrhosis distinguishes between compensated cases with no prior decompensating events and decompensated cases, with hepatic encephalopathy diagnosed through mental state changes linked to chronic liver disease. 2

Documentation considerations

Clinical documentation for cirrhosis interventions accounts for confounding factors such as patient age, disease severity measured by Child-Pugh or MELD scores, and the underlying disease etiology. 2

What the sources add

The World Health Organization source provides the official inclusion terms for K74.6, whereas the German health portal source provides a plain-language explanation of the physiological impact of liver scarring. 3 5

The clinical guidance source describes cirrhosis as a disease spectrum endpoint involving fibrous septa, while the bookshelf source details clinical subgroups like compensated versus decompensated cirrhosis. 1 2

Sources

1. AASLD Practice Guidance on the clinical assessment and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
2. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
3. ICD-10 Version:2019 — icd.who.int; accessed 2026-07-25.
4. ICD-10 | Unspecified cirrhosis of liver (K74.60) — cdek.pharmacy.purdue.edu; accessed 2026-07-25.
5. ICD-10 code: Other and unspecified cirrhosis of liver — gesund.bund.de; accessed 2026-07-25.
6. Medical Codes to Report Liver Cirrhosis — outsourcestrategies.com; accessed 2026-07-25.