COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pu in Spanish

What it means

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a group of lung diseases that make it hard to breathe and get worse over time. It includes two main types, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and most people with COPD have both. The cause is usually long-term exposure to irritants that damage the lungs and airways; in the United States, cigarette smoke is the main cause. Symptoms can include frequent coughing or a cough that produces a lot of mucus, a whistling or squeaky sound when breathing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest. There is no cure for COPD, but treatments can help with symptoms. Severe symptoms, such as trouble catching your breath or talking, are emergency signs that need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.).

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) in Spanish

Spanish term: EPOC (Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica)
Gender and article: feminine: la EPOC (la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica)
Pronunciation: eh-POHK (ehn-fehr-meh-DAHD pool-moh-NAHR ohbs-trook-TEE-bah KROH-nee-kah)

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
enfermedad de obstrucción pulmonar crónica	General	A second full name that the MedlinePlus en español topic page gives next to enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.
EOPC	General	Listed together with EPOC under 'Otros nombres' on the MedlinePlus en español topic page.
enfermedad obstructiva crónica de las vías respiratorias	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.

EPOC is the Spanish abbreviation that corresponds to COPD; MedlinePlus en español writes the full name as enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC). The abbreviation takes the feminine article of enfermedad: la EPOC, as in La EPOC tiene dos tipos principales. Those two types are enfisema (emphysema) and bronquitis crónica (chronic bronchitis). The encyclopedia article names smoking as the main cause with the noun tabaquismo.

For symptoms, the Spanish topic page uses sibilancias and explains it as un sonido silbante o chillón al respirar (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe). It also writes falta de aliento (shortness of breath), mucosidad (mucus) and sensación de presión en el pecho (tightness in the chest), while the encyclopedia article writes flema for what is coughed up. Treatment words on the topic page include broncodilatadores, inhalador, rehabilitación pulmonar, and both terapia de oxígeno and oxigenoterapia for oxygen therapy. Its emergency wording is Debe recibir atención de emergencia si tiene síntomas graves.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have had a cough with a lot of mucus for months.	Llevo meses con una tos con mucha mucosidad.
Clinician	Do you smoke now, or did you smoke in the past?	¿Fuma ahora o fumaba antes?
Patient	I get short of breath when I climb stairs.	Me falta el aliento cuando subo escaleras.
Clinician	I am going to order a lung function test and a chest X-ray.	Voy a pedirle una prueba de función pulmonar y una radiografía de tórax.
Patient	Is COPD the same thing as emphysema?	¿La EPOC es lo mismo que el enfisema?
Clinician	Emphysema is one of the two main types of COPD; the other is chronic bronchitis.	El enfisema es uno de los dos tipos principales de EPOC; el otro es la bronquitis crónica.
Patient	Can you show me how to use this inhaler?	¿Puede mostrarme cómo se usa este inhalador?
Clinician	If you have trouble breathing or talking, get emergency care right away; call 911.	Si tiene dificultad para respirar o hablar, busque atención de emergencia de inmediato; llame al 911.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Spanish (Español)	EPOC (Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica)
Chinese (中文)	慢性阻塞性肺病
Korean (한국어)	만성 폐쇄성 폐질환
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bệnh phổi tắc nghẽn mạn tính
Filipino (Tagalog)	COPD (Malalang Nakahahadlang na Sakit sa Baga)
Portuguese (Português)	DPOC (Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica)
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคปอดอุดกั้นเรื้อรัง
Japanese (日本語)	慢性閉塞性肺疾患

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferral

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: J44 → Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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: Lungs and breathing

All terms in this area: Lungs and breathing — Pulmones y respiración

Sources

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