Down Syndrome in Spanish

What it means

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome or an extra piece of a chromosome. People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, and because having an extra copy of a chromosome is called trisomy, the condition is sometimes also called trisomy 21. This extra copy changes how a baby's body and brain develop. Down syndrome is usually not inherited; it happens by chance, as an error when cells are dividing during early development of the fetus. People with Down syndrome usually have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, and their development is often delayed. Health care providers can check for Down syndrome during pregnancy or after a child is born, and a karyotype genetic test can confirm the diagnosis.

Spanish term: Síndrome de Down
Gender and article: masculine: el síndrome de Down
Pronunciation: SEEN-droh-meh deh DOWN

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
trisomía 21	General	MedlinePlus en español says Down syndrome is sometimes also known by this name; its encyclopedia lists it as the alternative name.

Síndrome de Down is the term MedlinePlus en español uses, and it is masculine: el síndrome de Down. MedlinePlus en español writes Down with a capital letter and síndrome in lower case inside a sentence. It explains that having an extra copy of a chromosome is called trisomía, so the condition is sometimes also known as trisomía 21; the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia gives Trisomía 21 as its alternative name.

Words MedlinePlus en español uses alongside it are cromosoma (chromosome), una copia extra del cromosoma 21 (an extra copy of chromosome 21), discapacidades intelectuales (intellectual disabilities), pruebas de detección prenatales (prenatal screening tests), pruebas de diagnóstico prenatal (prenatal diagnostic tests) and cariotipo (karyotype). Early intervention programs are programas de intervención temprana, and the therapies they offer are terapias del habla, ocupacionales y físicas.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Your prenatal screening test shows a higher chance of Down syndrome.	Su prueba de detección prenatal muestra una probabilidad mayor de síndrome de Down.
Patient	Does that mean my baby has Down syndrome?	¿Eso significa que mi bebé tiene síndrome de Down?
Clinician	No. A screening test cannot tell us for sure. A diagnostic test checks the chromosomes.	No. Una prueba de detección no nos lo puede confirmar. Una prueba de diagnóstico revisa los cromosomas.
Patient	My son has Down syndrome, and he sees a heart doctor every year.	Mi hijo tiene síndrome de Down y va al cardiólogo cada año.
Clinician	Is your child in an early intervention program?	¿Su hijo o hija está en un programa de intervención temprana?
Patient	Yes, she has speech therapy and physical therapy every week.	Sí, tiene terapia del habla y terapia física cada semana.
Clinician	We are going to order a blood test called a karyotype to confirm the diagnosis.	Vamos a pedir un análisis de sangre llamado cariotipo para confirmar el diagnóstico.
Patient	What extra health screenings does my daughter need?	¿Qué exámenes de salud adicionales necesita mi hija?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Down Syndrome
Spanish (Español)	Síndrome de Down
Chinese (中文)	唐氏症
Korean (한국어)	다운증후군
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hội chứng Down
Filipino (Tagalog)	Down syndrome
Portuguese (Português)	Síndrome de Down
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	กลุ่มอาการดาวน์
Japanese (日本語)	ダウン症候群

Where you'll see it

chartreferralmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: Q90 → Down syndrome

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: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

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