Hives in Spanish

What it means

Hives are red and sometimes itchy bumps on the skin; the MedlinePlus encyclopedia describes them as raised, usually itchy, red bumps (welts) on the surface of the skin. An allergic reaction to a drug or food usually causes them, and other causes include infections and stress. Allergic reactions cause the body to release chemicals that can make the skin swell up in hives. Hives are very common and usually go away on their own. Angioedema is swelling of the deeper tissue that sometimes occurs with hives. In rare cases, hives can cause a dangerous swelling in the airways that makes it hard to breathe, which is a medical emergency; emergency signs need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.). In Spanish the term is urticaria.

Spanish term: Urticaria
Gender and article: feminine: la urticaria
Pronunciation: oor-tee-KAH-ryah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
ronchas	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español as another name for urticaria; it is also the word it uses for the individual welts.
habones	General	The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia says the welts (ronchas) are also called habones, and lists Habones among the alternative names.

Urticaria is the term MedlinePlus en español uses for hives, and it is feminine: la urticaria. MedlinePlus en español describes urticaria as ronchas rojizas and also lists Ronchas as another name for the topic. The encyclopedia article adds that the welts are also called habones. On the English side, the MedlinePlus encyclopedia lists "Urticaria - hives" and "Wheals" among its alternative names.

Words that appear with it in MedlinePlus en español are picazón (itching), reacción alérgica (allergic reaction), histamina (histamine), angioedema (the same spelling as in English) and dermografismo (dermatographism). For the emergency, it uses vías respiratorias for airways and emergencia médica for medical emergency, and the encyclopedia tells readers to call al número local de emergencias (911 en los Estados Unidos) for signs such as dificultad respiratoria (shortness of breath).

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I broke out in itchy red welts all over my chest and back this morning.	Esta mañana me salieron ronchas rojas con picazón por todo el pecho y la espalda.
Clinician	Did you eat anything new or start a new medicine in the last few days?	¿Comió algo nuevo o empezó a tomar un medicamento nuevo en los últimos días?
Patient	I ate shrimp last night. I had never had a reaction like this before.	Anoche comí camarones. Nunca había tenido una reacción así.
Clinician	Do the welts change shape, go away, and come back in other places?	¿Las ronchas cambian de forma, desaparecen y vuelven a salir en otros lugares?
Patient	Yes, they disappear in one place and then show up in another.	Sí, desaparecen en un lugar y luego aparecen en otro.
Clinician	Have you had any swelling of your lips, tongue, or face, or any trouble breathing?	¿Ha tenido hinchazón de los labios, la lengua o la cara, o alguna dificultad para respirar?
Patient	Are these hives an allergic reaction? Do I need allergy tests?	¿Esta urticaria es una reacción alérgica? ¿Necesito pruebas de alergia?
Clinician	If your throat feels tight or you have trouble breathing, call 911 right away.	Si siente la garganta apretada o le cuesta respirar, llame al 911 de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Hives
Spanish (Español)	Urticaria
Chinese (中文)	蕁麻疹
Korean (한국어)	두드러기
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nổi mề đay
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pamamantal na pantal
Portuguese (Português)	Urticária
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ลมพิษ
Japanese (日本語)	蕁麻疹

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical recordallergy note

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: L50 → Urticaria

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: Skin, hair and nails

All terms in this area: Skin, hair and nails — Piel, cabello y uñas

Sources

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