Fatigue in Spanish

What it means

Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy that can interfere with usual daily activities. It is not a disease; it is a symptom. Fatigue is different from drowsiness: drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation. It can be a normal response to physical activity, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep, but sometimes it can be a sign of a mental or physical condition. It can have many causes, including medical problems such as anemia, infections, and sleep disorders, treatments, and lifestyle habits such as not getting enough sleep. To look for a cause, a provider will ask about sleep, daily activities, appetite, and exercise, and will likely do a physical exam and order lab tests.

Fatigue in Spanish

Spanish term: Fatiga
Gender and article: feminine: la fatiga
Pronunciation: fah-TEE-gah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
cansancio	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article; the RAE dictionary gives cansancio as the first sense and a synonym of fatiga.
agotamiento	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article and among the RAE dictionary's synonyms of fatiga.
cansancio extremo	General	The name MedlinePlus en español lists under "Otros nombres" on its health topic page.

Fatiga is the term on MedlinePlus en español, and the Real Academia Española dictionary records it as a feminine noun: la fatiga. The dictionary's first sense is cansancio, and the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia lists cansancio, agotamiento, extenuación and letargo among its alternative names. One other dictionary sense matters in an appointment: fatiga can also mean an urge to vomit, a sense the dictionary marks as used more in the plural (fatigas) and gives náusea as its synonym.

MedlinePlus en español separates fatiga from somnolencia (drowsiness): somnolencia is feeling the need to sleep, while fatiga is a lack of energy and motivation. Its health topic page defines fatigue as a feeling of cansancio, agotamiento or falta de energía. The condition in which fatigue lasts at least six months and does not resolve with rest is síndrome de fatiga crónica, abbreviated SFC; the health topic page writes encefalomielitis miálgica/síndrome de fatiga crónica (EM/SFC). A diario de fatiga is a fatigue diary.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have had no energy for about a month, even when I sleep well.	Llevo como un mes sin energía, aunque duerma bien.
Clinician	Is it more a lack of energy, or do you feel the need to sleep during the day?	¿Es más bien falta de energía, o siente la necesidad de dormir durante el día?
Patient	It is fatigue, not sleepiness. Resting does not take it away.	Es fatiga, no sueño. No se me quita con descansar.
Clinician	How many hours do you sleep, and do you wake up many times during the night?	¿Cuántas horas duerme, y se despierta muchas veces durante la noche?
Clinician	Have you had a fever, weight loss, or changes in your appetite?	¿Ha tenido fiebre, pérdida de peso o cambios en el apetito?
Patient	When I say "fatiga" I mean tiredness, not nausea.	Cuando digo "fatiga" me refiero al cansancio, no a las náuseas.
Clinician	I am going to order blood tests to look for a cause.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre para buscar una causa.
Patient	Would it help if I kept a fatigue diary until the next visit?	¿Serviría que yo llevara un diario de fatiga hasta la próxima consulta?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Fatigue
Spanish (Español)	Fatiga
Chinese (中文)	疲勞
Korean (한국어)	피로
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Mệt mỏi
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pagod
Portuguese (Português)	Fadiga
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ความเหนื่อยล้า
Japanese (日本語)	倦怠感

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R53 → Malaise and fatigue

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: General care: tests, procedures and medicines

All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos

Sources

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