US Medical Term · conditions
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Síndrome del intestino irritable (SII)
Also: Colon irritable (regional variant)
What it means
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a group of symptoms that occur together: repeated pain in the abdomen and changes in bowel movements, which may be diarrhea, constipation, or both. It affects the large intestine and can also cause cramping and bloating, but it does not harm the intestines and leaves no visible signs of damage in the digestive tract. The exact cause is not known and there is no specific test for it, so a doctor may order stool tests, blood tests, x-rays, or a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy to make sure another disease is not responsible. IBS is not the same condition as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Síndrome del intestino irritable (SII)
- Gender and article
- masculine: el síndrome del intestino irritable
- Pronunciation
- SEEN-droh-meh del een-tes-TEE-noh ee-rree-TAH-bleh
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Síndrome del colon irritable | General | Listed under "Otros nombres" on the MedlinePlus en español health topic page. |
| Colon irritable | General | Short everyday form; listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus medical encyclopedia in Spanish. |
| Intestino irritable | General | Shortened form without "síndrome"; listed among the MedlinePlus alternative names. |
| Colon espástico | General | Older name; MedlinePlus lists it as an alternative name and NIDDK lists it among the names used in the past. |
The Spanish abbreviation is SII. NIDDK's Spanish pages introduce the condition as "SII o IBS, por sus siglas en inglés," so the English abbreviation IBS can also appear in Spanish-language materials in the United States. MedlinePlus en español also lists the subtype labels SII-C and SII-D among its alternative names. Síndrome is a masculine noun, so the article is el, and the abbreviation follows it: el SII.
Two points cause confusion. NIDDK notes that the condition was called "colitis," "colitis mucosa," "colon espástico," and "colon nervioso" in the past, so some patients may still use one of those older names. Also, SII is easy to mix up with EII (enfermedad intestinal inflamatoria, IBD in English); MedlinePlus states that the two are not the same.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | I have had stomach pain and cramps several times a week for months. | Desde hace meses tengo dolor de estómago y cólicos varias veces por semana. |
| Clinician | Do you have diarrhea, constipation, or both? | ¿Tiene diarrea, estreñimiento o las dos cosas? |
| Patient | Some days I am constipated and other days I have diarrhea, and I feel very bloated. | Algunos días estoy estreñido(a) y otros días tengo diarrea, y me siento muy hinchado(a). |
| Clinician | Does the pain get better or worse after you have a bowel movement? | ¿El dolor mejora o empeora después de evacuar? |
| Patient | A doctor in my country told me I had irritable colon. Is that the same as IBS? | Un médico en mi país me dijo que tenía colon irritable. ¿Es lo mismo que el síndrome del intestino irritable? |
| Clinician | I would like to order a blood test and a stool test to rule out other conditions. | Quisiera pedirle un análisis de sangre y uno de heces para descartar otras enfermedades. |
| Patient | Will I need a colonoscopy? | ¿Voy a necesitar una colonoscopia? |
| Clinician | Have you noticed whether certain foods or stress bring on your symptoms? | ¿Ha notado si ciertos alimentos o el estrés le provocan los síntomas? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) |
| Spanish (Español) | Síndrome del intestino irritable (SII) |
| Chinese (中文) | 腸躁症 |
| Korean (한국어) | 과민성 장 증후군 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Hội chứng ruột kích thích |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) |
| Portuguese (Português) | Síndrome do intestino irritável (SII) |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | โรคลำไส้แปรปรวน |
| Japanese (日本語) | 過敏性腸症候群 |
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
ICD-10-CM code: K58 → Irritable bowel syndromeRelated 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: Digestive system
All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo
Sources
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Síndrome del intestino irritable — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Síndrome del intestino irritable (enciclopedia médica) — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Definition & Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH
- síndrome — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 1, 2026