Hypothalamus in Spanish

What does the hypothalamus do?

According to MedlinePlus, the hypothalamus is an area of the brain that produces hormones that regulate body temperature, heart rate, hunger, mood, the release of hormones from many glands (especially the pituitary gland), sex drive, sleep and thirst. The NCI dictionary sums it up as the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

Hypothalamic disease

MedlinePlus uses the adjective hypothalamic for problems in this area. It says hypothalamic dysfunction can occur as a result of diseases, including genetic causes (often present at birth or during childhood), infection or inflammation, and injury as a result of trauma, surgery or radiation.

What it means

The hypothalamus is the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst, in the wording of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary. MedlinePlus describes it as an area of the brain that produces hormones that regulate body temperature, heart rate, hunger, mood, sex drive, sleep, thirst, and the release of hormones from many glands, especially the pituitary gland. Because the hypothalamus regulates so many different functions, MedlinePlus says, hypothalamic disease can have many different symptoms, depending on the cause. It lists the most common ones as increased appetite and rapid weight gain, extreme thirst and frequent urination (diabetes insipidus), low body temperature, and slow heart rate. In Spanish the term is hipotálamo.

Hypothalamus in Spanish

Spanish term: Hipotálamo
Gender and article: masculine: el hipotálamo
Pronunciation: ee-poh-TAH-lah-moh

Hipotálamo is the term in MedlinePlus en español, in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary and in the Spanish dictionary, which marks it as a masculine noun: el hipotálamo. The NCI Spanish dictionary defines it as the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger and thirst (la temperatura del cuerpo, el hambre y la sed). The Spanish dictionary places it at the base of the brain and describes it as joined to the hipófisis by a nerve stalk.

The adjective is hipotalámico: MedlinePlus en español writes enfermedad hipotalámica and disfunción hipotalámica. In its list of what the hypothalamus regulates, it uses la temperatura corporal, la frecuencia cardíaca, el hambre, la sed, el sueño and la libido, and where the English page says pituitary gland it says la hipófisis. Among the symptoms, it gives sed excesiva y micción frecuente with diabetes insípida in parentheses, temperatura corporal baja and frecuencia cardíaca lenta.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that helps regulate body temperature, hunger, and thirst.	El hipotálamo es una zona del cerebro que ayuda a regular la temperatura corporal, el hambre y la sed.
Patient	Lately I am thirsty all the time and I urinate very often.	Últimamente tengo sed todo el tiempo y orino con mucha frecuencia.
Clinician	Have you gained weight quickly or noticed a bigger appetite?	¿Ha subido de peso rápidamente o ha notado más apetito?
Patient	Yes, and I often feel cold when other people do not.	Sí, y muchas veces siento frío cuando los demás no.
Clinician	Have you ever had a head injury, brain surgery, or radiation to the head?	¿Ha tenido alguna vez una lesión en la cabeza, una cirugía del cerebro o radiación en la cabeza?
Patient	The MRI report mentions the hypothalamus. What does that part of the brain do?	El informe de la resonancia magnética menciona el hipotálamo. ¿Qué hace esa parte del cerebro?
Clinician	I am going to order blood tests to check your hormone levels.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre para revisar sus niveles hormonales.
Patient	Is the hypothalamus the same thing as the pituitary gland?	¿El hipotálamo es lo mismo que la hipófisis?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Hypothalamus
Spanish (Español)	Hipotálamo
Chinese (中文)	下丘腦
Korean (한국어)	시상하부
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Vùng dưới đồi
Filipino (Tagalog)	Hypothalamus
Portuguese (Português)	Hipotálamo
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ไฮโปทาลามัส
Japanese (日本語)	視床下部

Where you'll see it

chartdischarge summarymedical record

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.