Migraine in Spanish

What it means

Migraines are a recurring type of headache. They cause moderate to severe pain that is throbbing or pulsing, often on one side of the head, and may come with other symptoms such as nausea and weakness and sensitivity to light and sound. Researchers believe that migraine has a genetic cause, and a number of factors that vary from person to person, such as stress, bright or flashing lights, or loud noises, can trigger a migraine. Some people have an aura, in which they might see flashing or bright lights or zig-zag lines, just before or during a migraine. To make a diagnosis, a health care provider takes a medical history, asks about symptoms, and does a physical and neurological exam; an important part is ruling out other medical conditions.

Migraine in Spanish

Spanish term: Migraña
Gender and article: feminine: la migraña
Pronunciation: mee-GRAH-nyah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
jaqueca	General	MedlinePlus en español gives it under "Otros nombres" on its migraine page.
cefalea migrañosa	General	Longer form that the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses in its headache article.

Migraña is the title of the MedlinePlus en español page, which gives jaqueca as another name. The noun is feminine: una migraña, las migrañas. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia calls an episode an ataque de migraña, and the topic page uses crisis where the English page says "attacks". Things that set a migraine off are desencadenantes (triggers).

The same page describes four phases; three of them are named aura, fase de dolor de cabeza and fase postdrómica. The encyclopedia names the two main types migraña con aura (migraña clásica) and migraña sin aura (migraña común). Where the English pages say throbbing or pulsing pain, the Spanish topic page says dolor palpitante o pulsante and the encyclopedia says dolor pulsátil. Being sensitive to light and sound is ser sensible a la luz y el sonido. Aura is spelled the same in both languages, and the Spanish pages write el aura and un aura.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I get migraines two or three times a month, and they last all day.	Tengo migrañas dos o tres veces al mes, y me duran todo el día.
Clinician	Is the pain on one side of your head? Is it throbbing?	¿El dolor es en un lado de la cabeza? ¿Es palpitante?
Patient	Yes, on the left side, and light and noise make it worse.	Sí, en el lado izquierdo, y la luz y el ruido lo empeoran.
Clinician	Do you see flashing lights or zig-zag lines before the pain starts?	¿Ve luces intermitentes o líneas en zigzag antes de que empiece el dolor?
Patient	Sometimes I see bright spots, and then I feel nauseous and vomit.	A veces veo puntos brillantes, y luego tengo náuseas y vomito.
Clinician	Have you noticed what triggers your migraines, such as stress or skipped meals?	¿Ha notado qué desencadena sus migrañas, como el estrés o saltarse comidas?
Clinician	Does anyone in your family have migraines?	¿Alguien de su familia tiene migrañas?
Patient	My mother has them too. Should I keep a record of my migraines for the next visit?	Mi madre también las tiene. ¿Debo llevar un registro de mis migrañas para la próxima consulta?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Migraine
Spanish (Español)	Migraña
Chinese (中文)	偏頭痛
Korean (한국어)	편두통
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Đau nửa đầu
Filipino (Tagalog)	Migraine
Portuguese (Português)	Enxaqueca
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ไมเกรน
Japanese (日本語)	片頭痛

Where you'll see it

chartintake formmedical recordtriage note

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: G43 → Migraine

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: Brain and nerves

All terms in this area: Brain and nerves — Cerebro y nervios

Sources

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