Diverticulitis in Spanish

What it means

Diverticulitis is the name for the condition a person has when one or more diverticula get inflamed. Diverticula are small pouches, or sacs, that bulge outward through weak spots in the colon; they mostly form in the lower part of the colon, and having them is called diverticulosis. Diverticulitis may come on suddenly and can sometimes cause serious health problems. It may cause abdominal pain, most often in the lower left side of the abdomen, along with constipation or diarrhea, fevers and chills, and nausea or vomiting. The pain is usually severe and comes on suddenly. Diverticulitis is usually found during an acute attack, and the tests may include blood tests, stool tests, imaging tests, and colonoscopy.

Spanish term: Diverticulitis
Gender and article: feminine: la diverticulitis
Pronunciation: dee-behr-tee-koo-LEE-tees

Diverticulitis is spelled the same in Spanish and English. The Spanish dictionary records it as a feminine noun with a medical label and defines it as inflamación de un divertículo, especialmente en el colon; MedlinePlus en español writes la diverticulitis. The pouch itself is a divertículo, a masculine noun the dictionary defines as an abnormal pouch or sac in the wall of a hollow organ, such as the colon. MedlinePlus en español describes divertículos as pequeñas bolsas o sacos.

Three related names appear on the same Spanish page. Diverticulosis is having the pouches, diverticulitis is when one or more of them become inflamed, and enfermedad diverticular is the condition in which the pouches cause chronic symptoms, bleeding, or diverticulitis or its complications. The page writes ataque agudo for an acute attack. Words used for complications are absceso, fístula, obstrucción intestinal, perforación and peritonitis. The encyclopedia article gives intestino grueso with colon in parentheses for the large intestine.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have a strong pain in the lower left side of my abdomen.	Tengo un dolor fuerte en el lado inferior izquierdo del abdomen.
Clinician	Did the pain come on suddenly, or has it been getting worse over several days?	¿El dolor apareció de repente o ha ido empeorando durante varios días?
Patient	It started suddenly last night, and I also have a fever and chills.	Empezó de repente anoche, y también tengo fiebre y escalofríos.
Clinician	Have you had nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea?	¿Ha tenido náuseas, vómitos, estreñimiento o diarrea?
Patient	Years ago I was told that I have diverticulosis. Is this the same thing?	Hace años me dijeron que tengo diverticulosis. ¿Es lo mismo?
Clinician	Diverticulosis means you have the pouches; diverticulitis means one or more of them are inflamed.	La diverticulosis significa que tiene las bolsas; la diverticulitis significa que una o más están inflamadas.
Clinician	I am going to order blood tests and a CT scan.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre y una tomografía computarizada.
Patient	Will I need to stay in the hospital?	¿Voy a tener que quedarme en el hospital?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Diverticulitis
Spanish (Español)	Diverticulitis
Chinese (中文)	憩室炎
Korean (한국어)	게실염
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Viêm túi thừa
Filipino (Tagalog)	Diverticulitis
Portuguese (Português)	Diverticulite
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ไส้ใหญ่อักเสบจากถุงยื่น
Japanese (日本語)	憩室炎

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferral

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: K57 → Diverticular disease of intestine

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.