Bloating in Spanish

What it means

Bloating, which MedlinePlus calls abdominal bloating, is a condition in which the belly (abdomen) feels full and tight; the belly may also look swollen (distended). Common causes listed by MedlinePlus include swallowing air, constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance and problems digesting other foods, and overeating. More serious disorders that may cause bloating include celiac disease and ovarian cancer. MedlinePlus lists bloating, meteorism and gas among the alternative names for abdominal bloating, and it says that gas in the digestive tract comes from two sources: air that you swallow and the breakdown of undigested food by bacteria in the large intestine. In Spanish the headword used here is hinchazón abdominal.

Spanish term: Hinchazón abdominal
Gender and article: feminine: la hinchazón abdominal
Pronunciation: een-chah-SOHN ahb-doh-mee-NAHL

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
distensión abdominal	General	Title of the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article that corresponds to the English article on abdominal bloating.
distensión del abdomen	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.
meteorismo	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article; the English article lists meteorism.

MedlinePlus en español uses two words for this symptom. Its gas page uses hinchazón where the English page says bloating: dolor e hinchazón que causa el gas. Its encyclopedia article is titled Distensión abdominal, uses distensión through the text, and describes an abdomen that feels lleno y apretado (full and tight) and may look hinchado (distendido). The alternative names it lists are distensión del abdomen, meteorismo and gases.

The encyclopedia glosses abdomen as vientre. Words MedlinePlus en español uses alongside it are tragar aire (swallowing air), estreñimiento (constipation), intolerancia a la lactosa (lactose intolerance) and síndrome del intestino irritable (irritable bowel syndrome). On the gas page, gas passed through the mouth is called eructos, and gas passed through the rectum is called flatulencia.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My belly feels full and tight, even when I eat very little.	Siento el vientre lleno y apretado, aunque coma muy poco.
Clinician	When does the bloating start: after meals or at any time of day?	¿Cuándo empieza la hinchazón: después de las comidas o a cualquier hora del día?
Patient	It starts about an hour after I eat, and I have a lot of gas.	Empieza como una hora después de comer, y tengo muchos gases.
Clinician	Does your belly look swollen, or does it only feel that way?	¿Se le ve el vientre hinchado, o solo lo siente así?
Patient	By the evening my belly looks swollen and my clothes feel tight.	Por la noche se me ve el vientre hinchado y la ropa me aprieta.
Clinician	Do you have constipation, diarrhea, or belly pain along with the bloating?	¿Tiene estreñimiento, diarrea o dolor de vientre junto con la hinchazón?
Patient	It gets worse when I drink milk or eat beans.	Empeora cuando tomo leche o como frijoles.
Clinician	Have you lost weight, or have you seen blood in your stools?	¿Ha bajado de peso, o ha visto sangre en las heces?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Bloating
Spanish (Español)	Hinchazón abdominal
Chinese (中文)	腹脹
Korean (한국어)	복부 팽만
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Đầy hơi
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pamamaga ng tiyan
Portuguese (Português)	Inchaço abdominal
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ท้องอืด
Japanese (日本語)	腹部膨満

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R14 → Flatulence and related conditions

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.