Diagnostic Code 7325 · 38 CFR §4.114
Chronic enteritis is persistent or recurring inflammation of the small intestine. It is a broad clinical category that includes post-infectious enteritis (after deployment-acquired GI infections that did not fully clear), radiation enteritis (in veterans who received pelvic or abdominal radiation), ischemic enteritis from prior abdominal trauma or surgery, eosinophilic enteritis, drug-induced enteritis (particularly from NSAIDs and certain chemotherapy agents), and chronic infectious enteritis from organisms that resist standard antibiotic treatment. The clinical picture includes chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, malabsorption, and nutritional deficiencies. Crohn disease — a specific form of chronic small-bowel inflammation — is typically rated under DC 7323 ulcerative colitis or, more precisely, under the inflammatory bowel disease framework rather than DC 7325. DC 7325 captures the chronic enteritis that does not fit a more specific diagnosis. The VA rates the chronic residuals based on symptom severity and the impact on overall health.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 10% | Mild chronic enteritis — occasional symptoms (diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, mild weight loss) responding to dietary modification and intermittent medical management. |
| 30% | Moderate chronic enteritis — persistent symptoms with definite functional impairment (chronic diarrhea, weight loss, malabsorption requiring nutritional supplementation), or recurring incapacitating flares requiring repeated medical management. |
| 60% | Severe chronic enteritis — symptoms producing substantial overall health impairment (significant weight loss, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, nutritional deficiencies, frequent hospitalization), OR ongoing requirement for parenteral nutrition or chronic immunosuppressive therapy. |
Capsule endoscopy, push enteroscopy, or small-bowel imaging (CT enterography, MR enterography) documents the small-bowel inflammation and any chronic mucosal changes. Biopsy from endoscopy characterizes the inflammatory pattern and rules out specific diagnoses (Crohn, celiac, eosinophilic enteritis). Stool studies and blood work document chronic infections, anemia, and malabsorption. A symptom diary captures the flare pattern and the impact on daily function. Records of dietary modifications, immunosuppressive therapy, biologic medications, or parenteral nutrition demonstrate the chronic management burden. Service treatment records documenting the original GI insult — deployment infection, radiation exposure, abdominal trauma, surgical complication — establish the nexus.
Crohn disease is a specific inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any segment of the GI tract and is typically rated under DC 7323 (ulcerative colitis) by analogy or under a more specific IBD framework depending on the rating decision. DC 7325 captures the broader chronic enteritis category — small-bowel inflammation that does not meet diagnostic criteria for Crohn, ulcerative colitis, or another specific disease. Endoscopic biopsy with histology distinguishes them, and the correct diagnosis affects which rating code applies.
Yes. Post-infectious enteritis from bacterial (Campylobacter, Shigella, Yersinia), parasitic (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), or viral GI infections can persist as chronic inflammation long after the original infection has been cleared by antibiotics. The mechanism involves persistent low-grade immune activation in the gut. A nexus opinion from a gastroenterologist connecting the documented in-service infection to the current chronic enteritis can carry the claim.
A rating in continuous effect for five years or more is protected against reduction under 38 CFR §3.951 without strong evidence of sustained material improvement. Response to medication is not by itself a basis for reduction — the underlying disease is still present, and the medication is what is producing the controlled state. If the disease enters sustained remission off all therapy and the bowel mucosa returns to normal on follow-up endoscopy, that could support a reduction proposal, but the protection rules and the chronic nature of most enteritis diagnoses favor keeping the rating.