J44.1 ICD-10-CA code: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified
J44.1 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified” in CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026.
Official description
J44.1Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified
Short description: COPD with acute exacerbation unspecified
ICD-10-CA · Canada · Also written J441
Index terms
Entries in CIHI’s alphabetical index that lead to J44.1. Searching the index by the condition the note names is how coders reach this code.
- Disease, diseased, airway, obstructive, chronic, with, exacerbation (acute) NEC
- Disease, diseased, lung, obstructive (chronic) (COPD), with, exacerbation (acute)
- Asthma, asthmatic (bronchial) (catarrh) (spasmodic), chronic, obstructive, with (acute), exacerbation NEC
- Disease, diseased, lung, obstructive (chronic) (COPD), with, bronchitis, emphysematous, with acute exacerbation
- Asthma, asthmatic (bronchial) (catarrh) (spasmodic), with, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), with (acute), exacerbation NEC
Notes for J44.1
As CIHI prints them, with any note J44.1 takes from the headings above it.
Includes
- Chronic:• bronchitis• asthmatic (obstructive)• emphysematous• with• airways obstruction• emphysema• obstructive• asthma• bronchitis• tracheobronchitisCOPDFrom J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Excludes
Conditions classified elsewhere.
- Asthma (J45.-)asthmatic bronchitis NOS (J45.9-)bronchiectasis (J47)chronic:• bronchitis• NOS (J42)• simple and mucopurulent (J41.-)• tracheitis (J42)• tracheobronchitis (J42)emphysema (J43.-)lung diseases due to external agents (J60-J70)From J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Cystic fibrosis (E84.-)respiratory infection NOS (J98.7)From J40-J47 Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Certain:• conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96)• infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99)congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90)injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)neoplasms (C00-D48)symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)From Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
Note
- When a respiratory condition is described as occurring in more than one site and is not specifically indexed, it should be classified to the lower anatomic site (e.g., tracheobronchitis to bronchitis in J40).From Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
Where J44.1 sits
- 1ChapterChapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
- 2Block J40-J47Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- 3Category J44Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- 4Valid code J44.1Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified
Source and release
- Data release
- ICD-10-CA · FY 2026–2027
- Effective date
- Apr 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CIHI
This page is built from the ICD-10-CA catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Canadian Institute for Health Information’s FY 2026–2027 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What does ICD-10-CA code J44.1 mean?
J44.1 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified” in CIHI’s ICD-10-CA FY 2026–2027 release.
Where is J44.1 in ICD-10-CA?
J44.1 sits under J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, within J40-J47 Chronic lower respiratory diseases, within Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99).
What coding notes apply to J44.1?
ICD-10-CA lists Includes, Excludes, Note notes for J44.1, including those from the headings it sits under. They are listed on this page with where each one comes from.
Which ICD-10-CA release does this page use?
It uses CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.