---
title: "DC 6334 - Shigella infections"
diagnostic_code: "6334"
body_system: "Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies"
cfr_section: "§ 4.88b"
canonical: "https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule/infectious-and-immune/6334-shigella-infections"
source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.88b"
updated: "2026-07-21T20:32:33.026943Z"
---

# DC 6334 - Shigella infections

Rated under § 4.88b. Body system: Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies.

General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases

## Rating criteria

| Rating | Criteria |
| --- | --- |
| 100% | For active disease |
| 100% | As active disease |
| 100% | As active disease |
| 100% | As active disease |
| 100% | As active disease |
| 100% | Marked mental changes, moist dermatitis, inability to retain adequate nourishment, exhaustion, and cachexia |
| 60% | With all of the symptoms listed below, plus mental symptoms and impaired bodily vigor |
| 40% | With stomatitis, diarrhea, and symmetrical dermatitis |
| 20% | With stomatitis, or achlorhydria, or diarrhea |
| 10% | Confirmed diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms such as: decreased appetite, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness, inability to concentrate and irritability |
| 100% | With congestive heart failure, anasarca, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome |
| 60% | With cardiomegaly, or; with peripheral neuropathy with footdrop or atrophy of thigh or calf muscles |
| 30% | With peripheral neuropathy with absent knee or ankle jerks and loss of sensation, or; with symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, anorexia, dizziness, heaviness and stiffness of legs, headache or sleep disturbance |
| 100% | Marked mental changes, moist dermatitis, inability to retain adequate nourishment, exhaustion, and cachexia |
| 60% | With all of the symptoms listed below, plus mental symptoms and impaired bodily vigor |
| 40% | With stomatitis, diarrhea, and symmetrical dermatitis |
| 20% | With stomatitis, or achlorhydria, or diarrhea |
| 10% | Confirmed diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms such as: decreased appetite, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness, inability to concentrate and irritability |
| 100% | As active disease |
| 0% | As acute or asymptomatic chronic disease |
| 100% | Not to be combined with ratings under DC 7809 Acute, with frequent exacerbations, producing severe impairment of health |
| 60% | Exacerbations lasting a week or more, 2 or 3 times per year |
| 10% | Exacerbations once or twice a year or symptomatic during the past 2 years |
| 100% | AIDS with recurrent opportunistic infections (see Note 3) or with secondary diseases afflicting multiple body systems; HIV-related illness with debility and progressive weight loss |
| 60% | Refractory constitutional symptoms, diarrhea, and pathological weight loss; or minimum rating following development of AIDS-related opportunistic infection or neoplasm |
| 30% | Recurrent constitutional symptoms, intermittent diarrhea, and use of approved medication(s); or minimum rating with T4 cell count less than 200 |
| 10% | Following development of HIV-related constitutional symptoms; T4 cell count between 200 and 500; use of approved medication(s); or with evidence of depression or memory loss with employment limitations |
| 0% | Asymptomatic, following initial diagnosis of HIV infection, with or without lymphadenopathy or decreased T4 cell count |
| 100% | Which are nearly constant and so severe as to restrict routine daily activities almost completely and which may occasionally preclude self-care |
| 60% | Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least six weeks total duration per year |
| 40% | Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities from 50 to 75 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least four but less than six weeks total duration per year |
| 20% | Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities by less than 25 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least two but less than four weeks total duration per year |
| 10% | Which wax and wane but result in periods of incapacitation of at least one but less than two weeks total duration per year; or symptoms controlled by continuous medication |

## Notes

- Note: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, hemolytic-uremic syndrome or reactive arthritis.

# Shigella Infections (VA Diagnostic Code 6334)

**Understanding how the VA rates Shigella infections under 38 CFR § 4.88b**

## What Is This Condition?

Shigella infections are covered under the VA's rating schedule for **Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders, and Nutritional Deficiencies**. This condition is assigned **Diagnostic Code 6334** and is evaluated using the **General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases**.

Because an infection can leave lasting effects even after the active illness resolves, the VA rating rules include an important note about how residual (leftover) disabilities are handled.

> **Note:** Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, hemolytic-uremic syndrome or reactive arthritis.

In plain terms: if the Shigella infection causes ongoing complications in other parts of the body, those lasting effects may be rated separately under the body system they affect.

## Available Rating Levels

Under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases, the VA recognizes two primary evaluation points for Shigella infections:

| Rating | What It Reflects |
|--------|------------------|
| **100%** | For active disease |
| **0%** | As acute or asymptomatic chronic disease |

- A **100% rating** applies while the disease is active.
- A **0% rating** applies when the condition is acute or is a chronic disease that is not currently producing symptoms.

Any lasting complications from the infection are addressed separately under the appropriate body system, as described in the note above.

## What the VA Looks For

When evaluating a Shigella infection under Diagnostic Code 6334, the VA considers:

- **Whether the disease is currently active** — active disease is the basis for a 100% evaluation.
- **Whether the condition is acute or an asymptomatic chronic disease** — this corresponds to a 0% evaluation.
- **Any residual disability caused by the infection** — such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome or reactive arthritis — which is rated under the body system it affects rather than under this diagnostic code.

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*This information is provided for general educational purposes and is based solely on the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 6334 under 38 CFR § 4.88b. It does not guarantee any particular rating or outcome.*

Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.88b