Hypoglycemia in Spanish

What it means

Hypoglycemia means low glucose. It happens when the level of glucose in your blood drops below what is healthy for you: for many people with diabetes this means a level lower than 70 mg/dL, and for people who don't have diabetes it is typically lower than 55 mg/dL. It is common in people who have type 1 diabetes or who have type 2 diabetes and take insulin or other diabetes medicines. Symptoms tend to come on quickly and may include shaking, sweating, nervousness or anxiety, irritability or confusion, dizziness and hunger. Severe hypoglycemia can cause serious complications, including passing out, coma, or even death. If signs of low blood sugar do not improve after a snack that has sugar, MedlinePlus says to call 911 or the local emergency number.

Hypoglycemia in Spanish

Spanish term: Hipoglucemia
Gender and article: feminine: la hipoglucemia
Pronunciation: ee-poh-gloo-SEH-myah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
hipoglicemia	General	Spelling with gli- that MedlinePlus en español lists among the other names on its topic page and among the alternative names of its encyclopedia article.
azúcar baja en la sangre	General	Plain-language name that MedlinePlus en español lists among the other names on its topic page.
bajo nivel de azúcar en la sangre	General	Plain-language name used by the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article, which says the medical term for it is hipoglucemia.

Hipoglucemia is the term used by MedlinePlus en español and entered in the Spanish dictionary, which marks it as a feminine noun of medicine and defines it as a level of glucose in the blood lower than normal. The dictionary gives its formation as hipo- plus glucemia. MedlinePlus en español lists hipoglicemia, spelled with gli, and azúcar baja en la sangre as other names on its topic page, and its encyclopedia article says that hipoglucemia is the medical term for low blood sugar.

The plain-language wording varies within MedlinePlus en español: azúcar baja en la sangre, bajo nivel de azúcar en la sangre and nivel bajo de glucosa en la sangre all appear. The topic page explains that glucosa en la sangre and azúcar en la sangre name the same thing. Words for the symptoms on that page include temblores (shaking), sudoración (sweating), mareos (dizziness) and hambre (hunger). Blood glucose levels are written in mg/dL, as in English.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I start shaking and sweating, and I feel very hungry.	Me dan temblores y sudores, y siento mucha hambre.
Clinician	Did you check your blood sugar when that happened?	¿Se midió el azúcar en la sangre cuando eso pasó?
Patient	Yes, it was 58.	Sí, estaba en 58.
Clinician	Do the symptoms come on quickly?	¿Los síntomas aparecen rápidamente?
Patient	Yes, mostly when I eat late or exercise more than usual.	Sí, sobre todo cuando como tarde o hago más ejercicio de lo habitual.
Clinician	Which diabetes medicines do you take, and at what time?	¿Qué medicamentos para la diabetes toma, y a qué hora?
Patient	What blood sugar level is too low for me?	¿Qué nivel de azúcar en la sangre es demasiado bajo para mí?
Clinician	If the signs of hypoglycemia do not improve after you eat a snack that has sugar, call 911 or the local emergency number.	Si los signos de hipoglucemia no mejoran después de comer un bocadillo que contenga azúcar, llame al 911 o al número local de emergencias.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Hypoglycemia
Spanish (Español)	Hipoglucemia
Chinese (中文)	低血糖
Korean (한국어)	저혈당증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hạ đường huyết
Filipino (Tagalog)	Hypoglycemia
Portuguese (Português)	Hipoglicemia
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะน้ำตาลในเลือดต่ำ
Japanese (日本語)	低血糖症

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: E16 → Other disorders of pancreatic internal secretion

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.