Dehydration in Spanish

What it means

Dehydration is a condition caused by the loss of too much fluid from the body. It happens when you are losing more fluids than you are taking in, and your body does not have enough fluids to work properly. Causes include diarrhea, vomiting, sweating too much, urinating too much, fever, and not drinking enough water or other fluids. In adults, symptoms include feeling very thirsty, a dry mouth, urinating and sweating less than usual, dark-colored urine, dry skin, feeling tired, and dizziness. Dehydration can be mild, or it can be severe enough to be life-threatening; the MedlinePlus encyclopedia calls severe dehydration a life-threatening emergency. Emergency signs such as confusion, fainting, or a rapid heartbeat need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.).

Spanish term: Deshidratación
Gender and article: feminine: la deshidratación
Pronunciation: dehs-ee-drah-tah-SYOHN

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
deshidratarse / deshidratado, deshidratada	General	Verb and adjective forms: MedlinePlus en español writes "usted puede deshidratarse" and its encyclopedia writes "resultar deshidratado".

Deshidratación is the term MedlinePlus en español uses, and it is feminine: la deshidratación. The verb is deshidratarse (to become dehydrated), and the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses the adjective in resultar deshidratado. The encyclopedia says dehydration can be leve, moderada o grave (mild, moderate or severe) and calls la deshidratación grave an emergency.

Symptom words MedlinePlus en español uses are tener mucha sed (feeling very thirsty), boca seca (dry mouth), orina de color oscuro (dark-colored urine), piel seca (dry skin) and mareos (dizziness). The words on its list of signs that need medical help right away are confusión, desmayo (fainting), falta de micción (lack of urination), latidos rápidos (rapid heartbeat) and respiración rápida (rapid breathing). Fluids are líquidos, electrolytes are electrolitos, and IV fluids are líquidos intravenosos.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have had diarrhea and vomiting for two days, and I can hardly keep liquids down.	Llevo dos días con diarrea y vómitos, y casi no puedo retener líquidos.
Clinician	When was the last time you urinated, and what color was your urine?	¿Cuándo fue la última vez que orinó y de qué color era la orina?
Patient	This morning, and my urine was very dark.	Esta mañana, y la orina era muy oscura.
Clinician	Do you feel very thirsty or dizzy when you stand up?	¿Siente mucha sed o mareos al ponerse de pie?
Patient	Yes, my mouth is dry and I get dizzy when I get up.	Sí, tengo la boca seca y me dan mareos al levantarme.
Patient	My baby has not had a wet diaper in more than three hours and cries without tears.	Mi bebé no ha mojado el pañal en más de tres horas y llora sin lágrimas.
Clinician	We are going to do a blood test to check your electrolytes and give you IV fluids.	Vamos a hacerle un examen de sangre para revisar los electrolitos y a darle líquidos intravenosos.
Clinician	If there is confusion, fainting, or a rapid heartbeat, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away.	Si hay confusión, desmayo o latidos rápidos, llame al 911 o vaya a la sala de emergencias de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Dehydration
Spanish (Español)	Deshidratación
Chinese (中文)	脫水
Korean (한국어)	탈수
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Mất nước
Filipino (Tagalog)	Dehydrasyon
Portuguese (Português)	Desidratação
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะขาดน้ำ
Japanese (日本語)	脱水症

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical recordemergency note

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: E86 → Volume depletion

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: Hormones, diabetes and metabolism

All terms in this area: Hormones, diabetes and metabolism — Hormonas, diabetes y metabolismo

Sources

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