Abdominal Pain in Spanish

What it means

Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin, an area often referred to as the stomach region or belly. MedlinePlus also calls it bellyache. The abdomen extends from below the chest to the groin and contains many important organs, and pain can come from any one of them. Severe pain does not always mean a serious problem, and mild pain does not mean a problem is not serious. The MedlinePlus encyclopedia gives words to describe it: generalized pain is felt in more than half of the belly, localized pain is found in only one area, and colicky pain comes in waves. MedlinePlus says to get medical help right away or call 911 or the local emergency number for signs such as sudden, sharp abdominal pain.

Spanish term: Dolor abdominal
Gender and article: masculine: el dolor abdominal
Pronunciation: doh-LOR ahb-doh-mee-NAHL

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
dolor de estómago	General	Listed among the other names (Otros nombres) on the MedlinePlus en español topic page.
dolor de barriga	General	Listed among the other names (Otros nombres) on the MedlinePlus en español topic page.
dolor de panza	General	Listed among the other names (Otros nombres) on the MedlinePlus en español topic page.
dolor de vientre	General	Listed among the alternative names of the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.

Dolor abdominal is the title of both the topic page and the encyclopedia article in MedlinePlus en español, and dolor is used as a masculine noun there: el dolor abdominal, un dolor severo. The topic page gives three other names, dolor de barriga, dolor de estómago and dolor de panza, and the encyclopedia article adds dolor de vientre and cólicos abdominales. The topic page also explains that some people call the abdomen estómago, although the abdomen contains many other important organs.

The encyclopedia article gives Spanish labels for describing the pain: dolor generalizado (generalized), dolor localizado (localized), dolor tipo calambre (cramp-like) and dolor tipo cólico (colicky), which comes in waves, en oleadas. Sudden, sharp abdominal pain is un dolor abdominal repentino e intenso on the topic page, and the groin is la ingle.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My belly has hurt since last night.	Me duele la barriga desde anoche.
Clinician	Where do you feel the pain? Is it all over or in one spot?	¿Dónde siente el dolor? ¿Es en todo el abdomen o en un solo punto?
Patient	It is in one spot, here on the right side.	Es en un solo punto, aquí en el lado derecho.
Clinician	Do you have it all the time, or does it come and go?	¿Lo tiene todo el tiempo, o va y viene?
Patient	It comes in waves, and it starts and ends suddenly.	Viene en oleadas, y empieza y acaba de repente.
Clinician	Have you had vomiting, fever or blood in your stool?	¿Ha tenido vómitos, fiebre o sangre en las heces?
Patient	I have been vomiting, but I have not seen any blood.	He tenido vómitos, pero no he visto sangre.
Clinician	I am going to examine your abdomen. Tell me if it hurts when I press.	Voy a examinarle el abdomen. Dígame si le duele cuando presiono.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Abdominal Pain
Spanish (Español)	Dolor abdominal
Chinese (中文)	腹痛
Korean (한국어)	복통
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Đau bụng
Filipino (Tagalog)	Sakit ng tiyan
Portuguese (Português)	Dor abdominal
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	อาการปวดท้อง
Japanese (日本語)	腹痛

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical recordtriage note

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R10 → Abdominal and pelvic pain

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Digestive system

All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.