Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Spanish

What it means

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening problem that affects people with diabetes. It occurs when the body starts breaking down fat at a rate that is much too fast: the liver processes the fat into a fuel called ketones, which causes the blood to become acidic. MedlinePlus says DKA can affect anyone with diabetes but is most common with type 1 diabetes, and is sometimes the first sign of type 1 diabetes in people not yet diagnosed. Common symptoms can include deep, rapid breathing, fruity-smelling breath, nausea and vomiting, and frequent urination or thirst that lasts for a day or more. MedlinePlus calls DKA a medical emergency and says to go to the emergency room or call 911 for decreased consciousness, fruity breath, nausea and vomiting, or trouble breathing.

Spanish term: Cetoacidosis diabética
Gender and article: feminine: la cetoacidosis diabética
Pronunciation: seh-toh-ah-see-DOH-sees dyah-BEH-tee-kah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
CAD	General	Abbreviation MedlinePlus en español gives after the full name and then uses through the article, where the English page uses DKA.

Cetoacidosis diabética is the name MedlinePlus en español uses, abbreviated CAD where the English page writes DKA. The noun is feminine: la cetoacidosis diabética, la CAD. The Real Academia Española dictionary records cetoacidosis as a feminine medical term, defines it as acidosis caused by an excess of ketones, and derives it from English ketoacidosis. MedlinePlus en español applies the plain word cetoacidosis to the condition in which ketones build up and make the blood acidic.

Words MedlinePlus en español uses alongside it are cetonas (ketones), azúcar en la sangre or glucosa (blood sugar), insulina, bomba de insulina (insulin pump) and tiras para la orina (urine strips). Among the symptoms it names are aliento a frutas (fruity-smelling breath), respiración acelerada y profunda (deep, rapid breathing) and deshidratación (dehydration). The Spanish page states that la CAD es una emergencia and tells readers to go to la sala de urgencias or call 911 or the local emergency number for the same warning signs listed in English.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My daughter has type 1 diabetes, and she has been vomiting since last night.	Mi hija tiene diabetes tipo 1 y está vomitando desde anoche.
Clinician	Is she breathing fast and deeply? Does her breath smell fruity?	¿Respira rápido y profundo? ¿Le huele el aliento a frutas?
Patient	Yes, and she is very thirsty and urinating a lot.	Sí, y tiene mucha sed y orina mucho.
Clinician	Have you tested her urine for ketones?	¿Le ha hecho la prueba de cetonas en la orina?
Patient	The urine strip showed ketones, and her blood sugar level is very high.	La tira para la orina mostró cetonas, y su nivel de azúcar en la sangre está muy alto.
Clinician	Has she missed any doses of insulin?	¿Ha dejado de ponerse alguna dosis de insulina?
Clinician	This may be diabetic ketoacidosis. She needs to go to the emergency room now.	Esto puede ser cetoacidosis diabética. Tiene que ir a la sala de urgencias ahora.
Clinician	If she becomes less alert or has trouble breathing, call 911.	Si está menos alerta o tiene dificultad para respirar, llame al 911.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Spanish (Español)	Cetoacidosis diabética
Chinese (中文)	糖尿病酮酸中毒
Korean (한국어)	당뇨병성 케톤산증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nhiễm toan ceton do đái tháo đường
Filipino (Tagalog)	Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Portuguese (Português)	Cetoacidose diabética
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะกรดคีโตนในเลือดจากเบาหวาน
Japanese (日本語)	糖尿病性ケトアシドーシス

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: E10 → Type 1 diabetes mellitus

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.