Metabolic Syndrome in Spanish

What it means

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. People often have several of them together; when someone has at least three, it is called metabolic syndrome. The risk factors include a large waistline, also called abdominal obesity; a high triglyceride level; a low HDL cholesterol level; high blood pressure; and a high fasting blood sugar. The more factors a person has, the higher the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Most of the metabolic risk factors have no obvious signs or symptoms, except for a large waistline. A health care provider diagnoses metabolic syndrome based on the results of a physical exam and blood tests. MedlinePlus says it is also called insulin resistance syndrome.

Spanish term: Síndrome metabólico
Gender and article: masculine: el síndrome metabólico
Pronunciation: SEEN-droh-meh meh-tah-BOH-lee-koh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
síndrome de resistencia a la insulina	General	The Spanish page of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says metabolic syndrome is also called by this name; MedlinePlus en español lists it under "Otros nombres".
síndrome X	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article on metabolic syndrome.

Síndrome metabólico is the form used by MedlinePlus en español and by the Spanish page of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It is masculine, el síndrome metabólico, as in the MedlinePlus heading ¿Qué es el síndrome metabólico? The NHLBI page says el síndrome metabólico is also called síndrome de resistencia a la insulina, and the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia lists Síndrome X among its alternative names.

For the risk factors, MedlinePlus en español writes obesidad abdominal for a large waistline and describes it as a body with "forma de manzana" (apple shape). The other four are nivel alto de triglicéridos, nivel bajo de colesterol HDL, presión arterial alta and nivel alto de azúcar en la sangre en ayunas (high fasting blood sugar). Other words that appear with the term are factores de riesgo (risk factors), cintura (waist) and resistencia a la insulina (insulin resistance).

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Your results show three risk factors, so this is called metabolic syndrome.	Sus resultados muestran tres factores de riesgo, así que esto se llama síndrome metabólico.
Patient	Which risk factors do I have?	¿Qué factores de riesgo tengo?
Clinician	High blood pressure, a high triglyceride level and a large waistline.	Presión arterial alta, un nivel alto de triglicéridos y una cintura grande.
Patient	I do not feel sick. Does metabolic syndrome cause symptoms?	No me siento mal. ¿El síndrome metabólico causa síntomas?
Clinician	Most of the risk factors have no obvious symptoms.	La mayoría de los factores de riesgo no tienen síntomas obvios.
Clinician	I am going to measure your waist and order a fasting blood sugar test.	Voy a medirle la cintura y a pedirle una prueba de azúcar en la sangre en ayunas.
Patient	Is metabolic syndrome the same as diabetes?	¿El síndrome metabólico es lo mismo que la diabetes?
Patient	My mother has diabetes, and I wanted you to know.	Mi madre tiene diabetes, y quería que usted lo supiera.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Metabolic Syndrome
Spanish (Español)	Síndrome metabólico
Chinese (中文)	代謝症候群
Korean (한국어)	대사증후군
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hội chứng chuyển hóa
Filipino (Tagalog)	Metabolic Syndrome
Portuguese (Português)	Síndrome metabólica
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	กลุ่มอาการเมแทบอลิก
Japanese (日本語)	メタボリックシンドローム

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: E88 → Other and unspecified metabolic disorders

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: Heart and circulation

All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación

Sources

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